"Israel will take ‘overall security responsibility’ of Gaza after war" - Netanyahu

WASHINGTON, US

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that his country will take “overall responsibility” of Gaza’s security for an indefinite period after its war with Hamas ends.

Security forces block Israeli demonstrators shouting slogans against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an anti-government protest in Jerusalem on November 4, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

“Israel will, for an indefinite period, will have the overall security responsibility,” he said in a television interview with ABC News broadcast on Monday.

“When we don’t have that security responsibility, what we have is the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale that we couldn’t imagine,” he added.

The Israeli military has relentlessly attacked Gaza by air, land and sea since October 7, when Hamas militants launched a cross-border attack that left 1,400 dead in Israel, most of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities, and over 240 hostages taken.

The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 10,000 people, the Hamas-run health ministry said Monday, including more than 4,000 children.

In Monday’s interview, Netanyahu disputed the health ministry’s figures, which he said likely included “several thousand” Palestinian combatants.

Despite growing calls for a cease-fire from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and other world leaders, Netanyahu said he did not support one.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits IDF Commando Brigade

“There will be no cease-fire — general cease-fire — in Gaza without the release of our hostages,” he said.

“As far as tactical, little pauses — an hour here, an hour there — we’ve had them before,” he said.

Israel may agree to pauses to let humanitarian goods into Gaza, or to allow for hostages to leave the besieged Palestinian territory, he added.

Asked if he should take any responsibility for the October 7 attack, Netanyahu said “of course.”

“It’s not a question and it’s got to be resolved after the war,” he said, adding that his government had “clearly” not met its obligation to protect its people.

Israel hits 450 targets in Gaza as Blinken meets Turkish officials to discuss war

GAZA, Palestine

Israeli fighter jets struck 450 Hamas targets in Gaza and troops seized a militant compound in the past 24 hours, Israel's military said on Monday, in attacks the enclave's health authorities said killed dozens of people.

A Reuters journalist in the Gaza Strip described the overnight bombardment from the air, ground and sea as one of the most intense since Israel launched its offensive in response to a surprise attack by Hamas on southern Israel a month ago.

Health officials in Hamas-controlled Gaza said more than 9,770 Palestinians have been killed in the war since Hamas killed 1,400 people and seized more than 240 hostages on October 7.

Israel, which says its forces have encircled Gaza city, faces mounting pressure to avoid civilian casualties after refusing to countenance a cease-fire until the hostages are released, and a U.S. diplomatic blitz in the region is intended to reduce risks of the conflict escalating.

The health ministry in Gaza said dozens of people were killed by the Israeli air strikes in Gaza City and further south in Gaza neighborhoods such as Zawaida and Deir Al-Balah.

Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV quoted medical sources as saying at least 75 Palestinians were killed and 106 hurt in the attacks.

The Israeli army said its strikes hit "tunnels, terrorists, military compounds, observation posts, and anti-tank missile
launch posts.

Ground troops killed several Hamas fighters while taking a militant compound containing observation posts, training areas and underground tunnels, the Israeli military said.

Reuters could not independently verify these accounts.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to meet Turkey's foreign minister in Ankara, hours after hundreds of people at a pro-Palestinian protest tried to storm an air base that houses U.S. troops in southern Turkey.

Blinken made an unannounced visit to the West Bank on Sunday to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who joined international calls for an immediate cease-fire.

The U.S. secretary reiterated Washington's concerns that a cease-fire could aid Hamas, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled one out for now.

U.S. CIA Director William Burns was also set to visit Israel on Monday to discuss the war and intelligence with senior officials, the New York Times reported.

Burns also will make stops in other Middle East countries to discuss the Gaza situation, it quoted an unnamed U.S. official as saying.

The CIA did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Israel said 31 soldiers had been killed since it began expanded ground operations in Gaza on Oct. 27, fighting thousands of Hamas fighters who believe they can hold off the Middle Eastern nation's advance in the warren of tunnels under the enclave.

Israel has called on civilians in north Gaza - the heart of Hamas' forces - to evacuate to the south for their own safety and gave a specific time window on Nov. 5 to do so.

However, U.N. monitoring showed that less than 2,000 did so, citing fear, heavy damage to roads and lack of information due to limited communications, a U.N. humanitarian briefing said.

Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesperson, showed reporters what he said was aerial footage of Hamas tunnels and rocket sites at two hospitals in northern Gaza, saying this showed Israel was not responsible for "what's happening now in northern Gaza."

A Hamas statement called on U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres to form a committee to visit Gaza hospitals to verify Israel's "false narrative" that Hamas uses hospitals as sites.

U.N. Palestinian refugee agency shelters in the south are overcrowded and unable to take new arrivals, and many displaced people are sleeping in the streets, near the shelters, the U.N. humanitarian office, OCHA said.

Jordan's air force air-dropped urgent medical aid to the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza early on Monday, according to a post on X from Jordan's king and reports in state media.

Telecoms provider Paltel said services were resuming gradually after they were disconnected from the Israeli side on Sunday.

U.S. Central Command, which covers the Middle East, said on X that an Ohio-class nuclear missile submarine had arrived in the region - an unusual announcement of a nuclear submarine's position that was seen by some analysts as a message to Iran, an Israeli foe.

People searched for victims or survivors at the Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza, where the health ministry said Israeli forces had killed at least 47 people in strikes early on Sunday.

"All night I and the other men were trying to pick the dead from the rubble. We got children, dismembered, torn-apart flesh," said Saeed al-Nejma, 53.

Asked for comment, the Israeli military said it was gathering details.

In a separate attack, 21 Palestinians from one family were killed in strikes, the health ministry said. Israel's military declined to comment.

Reuters could not independently verify these accounts. "We demand that you stop them from committing these crimes immediately," Abbas told Blinken, urging an "immediate cease-fire" from Israel.

Palestinians were facing a war of "genocide and destruction," news agency WAFA quoted Abbas as saying.

The war has inflamed Israeli-Palestinian violence elsewhere. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police said a 16-year-old Palestinian stabbed and wounded two officers before being shot dead.

In the occupied West Bank, another territory where Palestinians seek statehood, medics said a Palestinian was killed and three others wounded by Israeli army fire.

A military spokesperson has no immediate comment on that incident.

Tensions increased with Lebanon after an Israeli strike on a car in the south of the country killed three children and their grandmother, Lebanese authorities said.

Israel said it hit "terrorist targets of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon" in response to a missile attack against tanks that killed an Israeli citizen. Hezbollah said it responded by firing rockets at Kiryat Shmona town in northern Israel.

South Africa to withdraw diplomats from Israel

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa

South African officials Monday said they would be recalling all of their diplomats based in Israel to "signal" the nation's concern over the situation in Gaza.

While addressing a press briefing, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, a minister in the president's office, said all diplomatic staff in Tel Aviv would be asked back to Pretoria for consultations, without providing further details.

Ntshayheni's sentiments were re-iterated by Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor.

Speaking during a press conference, Pandor said, "we are... extremely concerned at the continued killing of children and innocent civilians in the Palestinian territories and we believe the nature of response by Israel has become one of collective punishment."

"We felt it important that we do signal the concern of South Africa while continuing to call for a comprehensive cessation (of hostilities)," Pandor added.

The recall of the diplomats was "normal practice," Pandor said, adding the envoys would give a "full briefing" on the situation to the government, which will then decide whether it can be of assistance or if a "continued relationship is actually able to be sustained."

Fighting has raged in the Gaza Strip for about a month since Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack over the border from the territory into Israel on October 7.

Israeli authorities report over 1,400 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in the Middle Eastern nation since the attack, during which Hamas took more than 240 people as hostages.

In response, Israel has relentlessly bombarded Gaza and sent in ground troops, with the health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory saying more than 9,700 people have been killed, also mainly civilians.

President Cyril Ramaphosa's administration has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, with the ruling African National Congress, ANC, often linking it to its own struggle against apartheid.

Lawyers for Niger's ousted president ask regional court to reinstate him

NIAMEY, Niger

Niger's former President Mohamed Bazoum's legal team has urged a West African regional court to reinstate him, alleging that his detention and removal from power violated his political rights.

Soldiers ousted Bazoum on July 26, citing his inability to address growing insecurity in the region. This event marked one of eight similar power shifts in West and Central Africa over the past three years.

Bazoum's lawyers presented their case to the Community Court of Justice, a body established to address matters within the ECOWAS regional bloc. 

It's important to note that member states are not bound by the court's decisions, and there is no mechanism to enforce its rulings.

Seydou Diagne, a member of Bazoum's legal team, argued that the removal of Bazoum's government constituted a violation of his political rights. 

Diagne, speaking from Dakar, Senegal, via video link, called for Bazoum's unconditional release and his reinstatement as president.

The legal team also contended that the detention of Bazoum, along with his wife and son, infringed upon their human rights.

In response, Aissatou Zada, a lawyer representing the Niger junta, asserted that Bazoum, his wife, and son were not arbitrarily detained or held against their will. Zada argued that they had the freedom to move about, with Bazoum being held at home for security reasons.

Notably, Bazoum's legal team claimed they had been unable to communicate with him since October 20, following allegations by the junta that the former president had attempted to escape with the help of accomplices. 

The court is expected to make a decision on this case on November 30.

Guinea sacks 60 soldiers and prison officers over former leader's jailbreak

CONAKRY, Guinea

Guinea has dismissed more than 60 soldiers and prison officers over the jailbreak of former junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara and two others.

Heavily armed men sprang Camara out of a prison in the capital, Conakry, on Saturday, but they were back in jail by the end of the day after a nationwide manhunt.

Junta leader Colonel Mamady Doumbouya said on Sunday that he had fired the military and prison officers for “breach of employment and misconduct”.

ALSO READ: Former Guinea dictator Moussa ‘Dadis’ Camara back in jail

The men taken out of prison are currently on trial for their alleged roles in the death of more than 150 people and the rape of over 100 women during a 2009 protest in the city.

Moussa Dadis Camara

In an interview with the BBC, Camara's lawyer claimed he was taken against his will, saying the former leader has confidence in Guinea’s judicial system

Camara came to power in a 2008 coup, staying in power until 2010 when Alpha Conde became the country’s first freely elected president.

Following several terms in office, Conde was overthrown in a 2021 coup by Doumbouya who has led the country since then.

SADC seeks DRC-Rwanda talks to defeat rebels

LUANDA, Angola

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has said that it will intensify talks with the governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda to defeat rebels in eastern DRC.

Over the years, the two nations have blamed each other over insecurity in eastern DRC, with Rwanda's President Paul Kagame accusing DRC of supporting rebels opposed to his government.

On the other hand, the DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel group, which is made up mostly of ethnic Tutsi fighters from DRC.

The rebels claim their government has not honoured past commitments to reintegrate them into the national army.

On Saturday, SADC heads of state met in Angola's capital Luanda, where they agreed on strategic guidelines on how to deploy a peacekeeping mission to DRC.

Member states agreed to contribute resources, including soldiers, to the mission.

During the extraordinary summit organised to discuss the security situation in eastern DRC, SADC said it was concerned by the escalation of hostilities in the war-hit region.

M23 rebels have occupied large swathes of land in eastern DRC, and recently fresh fighting resumed, resulting in deaths and displacements of people.

SADC said the renewed fighting was a "clear violation of the ceasefire (agreement)."

The SADC member states also mulled over the pooling of financial resources, under the SADC Peace Fund programme, to sustain peace initiatives in eastern DRC and in other parts of the bloc.

Election matters also took centre stage during the SADC discussions, with the regional bloc wishing Madagascar and DRC peaceful voting in November and December respectively.

The extraordinary summit was attended by presidents Joao Lourenco (Angola), Felix Tshisekedi (DRC), Samia Suluhu (Tanzania), Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa), Hakainde Hichilema (Zambia) and Emmerson Mnangagwa (Zimbabwe).

SADC is made up of South Africa, Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

President Museveni defiant over removal from US trade pact

KAMPALA, Uganda

Uganda's president said Sunday that the US government had overestimated its value to his country after Washington decided to remove the East African nation from a major trade pact over human rights violations.

The United States said last week it was cutting Uganda as well as the Central African Republic (CAR), Gabon and Niger from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) from January 2024.

The programme offers duty-free access into the world's largest economy for sub-Saharan African countries that meet democratic criteria, which are assessed on a yearly basis.

In a letter to Congress, US President Joe Biden said that the governments of the CAR and Uganda had both "engaged in gross violations of internationally recognised human rights".

Uganda has faced criticism from rights groups, the United Nations and Western powers over a harsh anti-gay law adopted in May.

But President Yoweri Museveni struck a defiant note on Sunday, telling Ugandans "not to be over-concerned by the recent actions by the American government in discouraging their companies from investing in Uganda and on removing Uganda from the AGOA list."

"Some of these actors in the Western world overestimate themselves and underestimate the freedom fighters of Africa," he said on X, formerly Twitter.

"As far as Uganda is concerned, we have the capacity to achieve our growth and transformation targets, even if some of the actors do not support us."

His senior aide and son-in-law Odrek Rwabwogo had earlier said that Kampala was open to discussing the issue with the United States, warning that the decision would hit Ugandan farmers and small business owners.

"While Ugandan trade through AGOA was insubstantial, growth of our exports to the US and other partners was an important pillar of our economic strategy going forward," Rwabwogo said in a statement released on Wednesday.

Biden had called for the immediate repeal of the anti-gay legislation after it was passed, and threatened to cut aid and investment in Uganda

The law adopted in May contains provisions making "aggravated homosexuality" a capital offence and imposes penalties for consensual same-sex relations of up to life in prison.

The World Bank announced in August it was suspending new loans to Uganda, and last month the US State Department warned about the risk of doing business there.

Museveni has accused the World Bank of using money to try to "coerce" the government to drop the controversial legislation.

Over 500,000 elderly in Tanzania cannot afford healthcare

Josephine Christopher, DAR ES SALAAM Tanzania

An estimated 585,672 senior citizens, equivalent to 27.65 percent of the total adults above 60 years of age in Tanzania mainland, are unable to afford healthcare, Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups Minister Dorothy Gwajima has revealed.

Gwajima told the National Assembly on Thursday that by the end of June 2023, there were 2.2 million adult Tanzanians over the age of 60 years in the mainland, with males accounting for 1.3 million and females 735,169.

The Minister said that there were still a substantial number of elderly who were unable to pay for medicine prescribed to them because they did not have enough money.

Gwajima was responding to a question from Newala-Rural Member of Parliament Maimuna Mtanda, who wanted to know the government's strategy to ensure that the elderly over 60 years of age who are eligible to receive free health services do get those services.

 "The government has provided identification cards through the improved community health fund (iCHF), the government continues to process to identify the elderly who are unable to afford healthcare at all councils in the country so that they can get medical services paid for by the government," the minister said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the number of people aged 60 years and older will increase from 1 billion in 2019 to 1.4 billion by 2030 and 2.1 billion by 2050.

The UN agency has said that there is a projected increase in demand for primary health care and long-term care, urging countries to reinvent health care provisions for the elderly.

More than 20 killed in Sudan after shell hits market

KHARTOUM, Sudan

More than 20 people were killed Sunday after shells hit a market in a suburb of the Sudanese capital Khartoum, a committee of pro-democracy lawyers said in a statement.

It was the latest bloodshed in the fighting since April between the forces of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

A statement from the committee for pro-democracy lawyers said the shells hit the market in Omdurman during an intense exchange of fire between the two sides.

"More than 20 civilians have been killed and others have been wounded," said the statement, which was sent to AFP. The committee keeps track of rights violations during the conflict and its civilian victims.

On Saturday, a medical source said shells that hit houses in Khartoum had killed 15 civilians.

Omdurman has repeatedly been the site of fierce battles between the two sides.

Though most of the fighting was previously contained to the capital and the western region of Darfur, it has also spread to areas south of Khartoum according to witnesses.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in the Sudan conflict so far, according to a conservative estimate by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.

But aid groups and medics have repeatedly warned the real toll exceeds recorded figures, with many of those wounded and killed never reaching hospitals or morgues.

The war has caused an estimated 5.5 million people to flee, both within Sudan and across borders, according to the United Nations.

US deploys Nuclear Submarine to Middle East amid rising tensions

WASHINGTON, US

In an unprecedented move, the United States has dispatched an Ohio-class nuclear submarine to the Middle East, intensifying its foothold in the area under the operational responsibility of the US Armed Forces Central Command.

The deployment of this potent asset of the US nuclear deterrent force occurs amidst escalating tensions and persistent conflicts in the region.

The submarine’s presence underlines the US’ firm commitment to the region and its readiness to leverage its military prowess to preserve stability and deter potential adversaries.

Serving as an indomitable symbol of American military might, it sends a resounding message to Iran and other regional players that the US stands ready to safeguard its interests.

The nuclear submarine’s deployment underscores the Middle East’s critical role in global geopolitics.

Home to strategic waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz—a passage for a significant chunk of the world’s oil—the region is pivotal to global energy security.

The submarine’s presence emphasizes the potential risks and challenges inherent in this region.

Publicizing the submarine’s arrival—an unusual move given the confidentiality surrounding nuclear-capable submarines—raises questions about the US’ long-term strategy in the Middle East.

This may be a calculated signal to Iran and other regional actors that the US is closely observing the situation and is prepared to counter any threats.

Besides, the nuclear submarine’s presence could deter potential military actions against US interests in the region.

Meanwhile, the situation remains volatile with pro-Iranian militias launching attacks on American bases, and Houthi rebels in Yemen, backed by Iran, targeting Israel.

International efforts to prevent further escalation and find a diplomatic resolution to the regional conflicts are underway.Complementing the submarine deployment, CIA chief, William Burns, is in Israel discussing efforts to prevent further conflict in the Middle East and negotiate a hostage release deal.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made an unexpected visit to Baghdad to address attacks on American forces in Iraq and discuss a truce in the Gaza Strip.

In conclusion, the nuclear submarine’s deployment reiterates the United States’ commitment to maintaining regional stability and security.

As tensions escalate, the world watches closely to see if diplomatic efforts can prevent further conflicts.

‘Enough is enough’ - UN agency chiefs say in joint statement urging Gaza cease-fire

UNITED NATIONS, New York

The heads of all major UN agencies issued a rare joint statement Sunday expressing outrage at the civilian death toll in Gaza and calling for an “immediate humanitarian cease-fire” in the war between Israel and Hamas.

 Israeli tanks and soldiers stationed at a location in the northern Gaza Strip as battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continue.

“For almost a month, the world has been watching the unfolding situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory in shock and horror at the spiralling numbers of lives lost and torn apart,” the UN chiefs said.

The heads of 18 organizations including UNICEF, the World Food Program and the World Health Organization described the horrific toll on both sides since the October 7 Hamas cross-border attack from Gaza into Israel, which left about 1,400 people dead, mainly civilians, according to Israeli authorities.

Israel has retaliated with relentless air and artillery strikes that have killed at least 9,770 people, also mostly civilians, says the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

The UN statement also pointed out that more than 23,000 injured people require immediate treatment within overstretched hospitals.

It said "the horrific killings of even more civilians in Gaza is an outrage, as is cutting off 2.2 million Palestinians from food, water, medicine, electricity and fuel."

“An entire population is besieged and under attack, denied access to the essentials for survival, bombed in their homes, shelters, hospitals and places of worship. This is unacceptable,” the statement added.

It noted that more than "100 attacks against health care" have been reported, "scores of aid workers" have been killed since October 7. Among the slain aid workers were 88 members of the UNRWA, acronym for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

The joint statement was signed by heads of the 18 UN agencies. 

The statement called on Hamas to release the more than 240 hostages it took in its attack, and urged both sides to respect their obligations under international law as the war rages on.

The UN leaders said more food, water, medicine and fuel must be allowed into Gaza to help its besieged population as Israel attacks with the stated goal of destroying Hamas.

“We need an immediate humanitarian cease-fire. It’s been 30 days. Enough is enough. This must stop now,” the statement said.

The UN further said the siege of Gaza by Israeli forces has created "serious challenges for medical staff."

"In Gaza, thousands are seeking refuge from violence in hospitals, creating serious challenges for medical staff to ensure safe childbirth," the UN said in a post on the X platform.

Former Guinea dictator Moussa ‘Dadis’ Camara back in jail

By Boubacar Diallo, CONAKRY, Guinea

Gunmen stormed the main prison in Guinea’s capital early Saturday and freed former dictator Moussa “Dadis” Camara and several others, authorities said.

A lawyer for the ex-strongman, though, later said he had been kidnapped.

In a statement, Prosecutor Yamoussa Conte said he has ordered authorities to investigate charges of escaping jail and weapons possession against Camara and three other individuals.

However, an attorney for Camara said late Saturday afternoon that her client was back at the central jail, where he was being questioned.

“My client has not escaped; he has been abducted,” Jacomey Haba told The Associated Press.

Among the others who escaped were Claude Pivi and Blaise Goumou, who along with Camara had been detained on charges in connection with a 2009 stadium massacre that left 157 people dead.

“We will find them. And those responsible will be held accountable,” Justice Minister Charles Alphonse Wright, told local Radio Fim FM several hours after heavy gunfire erupted in the Kaloum district of the capital, Conakry.

A fourth prisoner, Moussa Thiegboro Camara, already has been recaptured, Wright added.

Camara came to power in a 2008 coup d’etat following the death of longtime dictator Lansana Conte. Camara had lived for years in exile after surviving an assassination attempt by one of his bodyguards before returning home to Guinea in late 2021.

More than a dozen suspects were charged in connection with the 2009 massacre, when Guinean security forces fired upon peaceful demonstrators protesting against his intention to run for president after seizing power.

For years, Guinea’s government had sought to prevent Camara’s homecoming from exile in Burkina Faso, fearing it could stoke political instability. However, another coup in September 2021 put a military junta in power in Guinea that was more amenable to Camara’s return.

Camara testified in court last year that he was sleeping during the early hours of the attack, then awoken at 11 a.m. when he was told that demonstrators had been killed.

Putin signs law revoking Nuclear test ban treaty

MOSCOW, Russia

President of Russia, Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed into law Russia’s de-ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), a landmark agreement that aims to completely ban all nuclear tests.

The law’s text on Russia’s legal portal states that Moscow will no longer be bound by the UN-backed nuclear test ban starting Nov. 2.

Both Russia and the United States signed the treaty in 1996, but while Moscow ratified it in 2000, Washington never took the final step of codifying it into law.

Other holdouts to the treaty include China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel, as well as Egypt and Iran, both of which have not yet developed nuclear weapons themselves. 

As a result, CTBT never came into force as it was not ratified by all required signatories.

In early October, Putin said that revoking Moscow's ratification of the treaty would “mirror [Russia's] relations with the United States.”

The Kremlin previously denied that it intended to carry out nuclear weapons tests if it moved ahead with de-ratification.

“The president was primarily referring to the need to bring the de facto situation to a common denominator [with the U.S.],” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in October. 

As Russian lawmakers moved through the legal process to de-ratify CTBT in recent weeks, news reports said that both Russia and the United States were conducting high-explosive tests and nuclear strike drills, raising concerns about a new arms race between the two countries. 

Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang dead at 68

HONG KONG, China

Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, once seen as a reform-minded contender to the country’s top leadership role, died of a sudden heart attack early Friday in Shanghai, state media reported.

He was 68 years old.

Li, who was nominally China’s No. 2 leader until late last year, served as the country’s premier – traditionally in charge of the economy – for a decade from 2013 to March this year under strongman leader Xi Jinping.

During his time in the role, Li navigated the world’s second-largest economy through a challenging period of rising technology and trade tensions with the United States, mounting government debt and unemployment, and the Covid-19 pandemic.

In his final year in power, the economist by training had been a strong voice warning of challenges to China’s economy amid widespread Covid-19 lockdowns, while backing efforts to boost employment and maintain economic stability.

Li, known to use his English language skills on occasion in appearances outside the mainland, was also seen as representing a different approach to China’s ties with the world, at a time when the country’s relations with the West have grown increasingly strained.

“China and the United States have common interests,” Li said in response to CNN’s question at his annual press conference in March 2021. “The two countries need to put more energy on their common ground and expand converging interests.”

As the news of Li’s death broke Friday morning, social media users circulated a line from Li’s yearly address to China’s rubber stamp parliament in 2022, where he pledged that, “No matter how the international environment may change, China will keep the course of wider openness.”

Li, a highly educated technocrat with degrees in law and economics, was considered friendly to the private sector. He was also seen to have a diverging policy stance from Xi, who has tightened the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s control over the economy.

Bahrain expels Israel envoy, cuts economic ties

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia

Bahrain has recalled its ambassador to Israel and suspended economic ties with Tel Aviv, the country’s parliament announced on Thursday.

The statement published on the Bahraini parliament website confirmed that the Israeli ambassador had left Bahrain, while Bahrain called back its ambassador from Israel and decided to suspend all economic relations with Israel.

It added that its decision to recall its envoy and suspend economic relations is based on the kingdom’s “solid and historical stance that supports the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”

The parliament statement continued: “The Council of Representatives affirms that the Israeli ambassador in the kingdom of Bahrain has left Bahrain and the kingdom of Bahrain has decided on the return of the Bahrain ambassador to Israel. The cessation of economic relations was also decided.

“The Council affirms that the continuation of war and military operations, and the continuing Israeli escalation in light of the lack of respect for international humanitarian law, prompts the Council to demand more decisions and measures that preserve the lives of innocent people and civilians in Gaza and all Palestinian areas.”

Bahrain’s National Communication Center confirmed the move and said that the “priority of efforts at this stage must be focused on protecting the lives of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law and working to secure urgent humanitarian corridors to deliver relief and medical aid to the Gaza Strip.”

It added that there is a “need to spare the region from the consequences of a new cycle of violence and work to find a clear political horizon for a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace that guarantees stability and security for all.”

The Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs is yet to issue a statement, but the story has been widely reported by several news agencies, including Israeli ones.

In September 2020 Bahrain signed the Abraham Accord with Israel and the UAE in the US with their host the then President Donald Trump.