How U.S. & Iran are ‘weaponising' nuclear talks & why it could reshape Middle-East power dynamics
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
No proof Hamas routinely stole UN aid: Israeli military officials
JERUSALEM: For nearly two years, Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid provided by the United Nations and other international organisations. The govt has used that claim as its main rationale for restricting food from entering the Gaza Strip. But the Israeli military never found proof that the Palestinian militant group had systematically stolen aid from the United Nations, the biggest supplier of emergency assistance to Gaza for most of the war, according to two senior Israeli military officials and two other Israelis involved in the matter. In fact, the Israeli military officials said, the UN aid delivery system was largely effective in providing food to Gaza's hungry population. Now, with hunger at crisis levels in the territory, Israel is coming under increased international pressure over its conduct of the war in Gaza and the humanitarian suffering it has brought. Israel has largely brushed off the criticism. David Mencer, a govt spokesperson, said this past week that there was "no famine caused by Israel." Instead, he blamed Hamas and poor coordination by the United Nations for any food shortages. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Up to 70% off | Shop Sale Libas Undo Israel moved in May toward replacing the UN-led aid system, opting instead to back a private, American-run operation guarded by armed US contractors in areas controlled by Israeli military forces. Some aid still comes into Gaza through the UN and other organisations. The new system has proved to be much deadlier for Palestinians. According to the Gaza health ministry, almost 1,100 people have been killed by gunfire on their way to get food handouts under the new system, in many cases by Israeli soldiers who opened fire on hungry crowds. In the latest such incident, three people were killed by Israeli gunfire while waiting for aid in three separate incidents in northern, central and southern Gaza, said the civil defence agency on Saturday. In total, at least 25 people were killed, reports AFP. The military officials who spoke to The New York Times said that the original UN aid operation was relatively reliable and less vulnerable to Hamas interference than the operations of many of the other groups bringing aid into Gaza. Hamas did steal from some of the smaller organisations that donated aid, according to the senior Israeli officials and others involved in the matter. But, they say, there was no evidence that Hamas regularly stole from the UN, which provided the largest chunk of the aid.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
US Panel Probes Epstein Sex Trafficking Case, Pressure Mounts On Trump Administration
A key House committee is looking into the investigation of the late Jeffrey Epstein for sex trafficking crimes, working to subpoena President Donald Trump's Department of Justice for files in the case as well as hold a deposition of Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. The Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee acted just before House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., sent lawmakers home early for a monthlong break from Washington. The committee's moves are evidence of the mounting pressure for disclosure in a case that Trump has unsuccessfully urged his supporters to move past. But they were also just the start of what can be a drawn out process. Here's what could happen next in the House inquiry as lawmakers seek answers in a case that has sparked rampant speculation since Epstein's death in 2019 and more recently caused many in the Trump administration to renege on promises for a complete accounting. Democrats, joined by three Republicans, were able to successfully initiate the subpoena from a subcommittee just as the House was leaving Washington for its August recess. But it was just the start of negotiations over the subpoena. The subcommittee agreed to redact the names and personal information of any victims, but besides that, their demand for information is quite broad, encompassing "un-redacted Epstein files." As the parameters of the subpoena are drafted, Democrats are demanding that it be fulfilled within 30 days from when it is served to Attorney General Pam Bondi. They have also proposed a list of document demands, including the prosecutorial decisions surrounding Epstein, documents related to his death, and communication from any president or executive official regarding the matter. Ultimately, Republicans who control the committee will have more power over the scope of the subpoena, but the fact that it was approved with a strong bipartisan vote gives it some heft. The committee chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said he told the speaker that "Republicans on the Oversight Committee were going to move to be more aggressive in trying to get transparency with the Epstein files. So, we did that, and I think that's what the American people want." Comer has said that he is hoping that staff from the committee can interview Maxwell under oath on Aug. 11 at or near the federal prison in Florida where she is serving a lengthy sentence for child sex trafficking. In a congressional deposition, the subject typically has an attorney present to help them answer - or not answer - questions while maintaining their civil rights. Subjects also have the ability to decline to answer questions if it could be used against them in a criminal case, though in this instance that might not matter because Maxwell has already been convicted of many of the things she will likely be asked about. Maxwell has the ability to negotiate some of the terms of the deposition, and she already conducted 1 1/2 days of interviews with Justice Department officials this past week. Democrats, however, warn that Maxwell is not to be trusted. "We should understand that this is a very complex witness and someone that has caused great harm and not a good person to a lot of people," Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the oversight committee, told reporters this week. Committee Republicans also initiated a motion to subpoena a host of other people, including former President Bill Clinton, former Sen. Hillary Clinton as well as the former attorneys general dating back to Alberto Gonzales, who served under George W. Bush. It's not clear how this sweeping list of proposed subpoenas will actually play out, but Comer has said, "We're going to move quickly on that." Trump is no stranger to fighting against congressional investigations and subpoenas. And as with most subpoenas, the Justice Department can negotiate the terms of how it fulfills the subpoena. It can also make legal arguments against handing over certain information. Joshua A. Levy, who teaches on congressional investigations at Georgetown Law School and is a partner at Levy Firestone Muse, said that the results of the subpoena "depend on whether the administration wants to work through the traditional accommodation process with the House and reach a resolution or if one or both sides becomes entrenched in its position." If Congress is not satisfied with Bondi's response - or if she were to refuse to hand over any information - there are several ways lawmakers can try to enforce the subpoena. However, that would require a vote to hold Bondi in contempt of Congress. It's practically unheard of for one political party to vote to hold one of its own members in contempt of Congress, but the Epstein saga has also cut across political lines and driven a wedge in the GOP. Ultimately, the bipartisan vote to subpoena the files showed how political pressure is mounting on the Trump administration to disclose the files. Politics, policy and the law are all bound up together in this case, and many in Congress want to see a full accounting of the sex trafficking investigation. "We can't allow individuals, especially those at the highest level of our government, to protect child sex traffickers," said Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., a committee member. The Trump administration is already facing the potential for even more political tension. When Congress comes back to Washington in September, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers is working to advance to a full House vote a bill that aims to force the public release of the Epstein files.
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Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
Trump plays golf in Scotland as protesters rally against his visit
President Donald Trump played golf Saturday at his course on Scotland's coast while protesters around the country took to the streets to decry his visit and accuse United Kingdom leaders of pandering to the American. Trump and his son Eric played with the US ambassador to Britain, Warren Stephens, near Turnberry, a historic course that the Trump family's company took over in 2014. Security was tight, and protesters kept at a distance wand unseen by the group during Trump's round. He was dressed in black, with a white USA cap, and was spotted driving a golf cart. The president appeared to play an opening nine holes, stop for lunch, then head out for nine more. By the middle of the afternoon, plainclothes security officials began leaving, suggesting Trump was done for the day. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered on the cobblestone and tree-lined street in front of the US Consulate about 160 kilometres away in Edinburgh, Scotland's capital. Speakers told the crowd that Trump was not welcome and criticised British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for striking a recent trade deal to avoid stiff US tariffs on goods imported from the UK. Protests were planned in other cities as environmental activists, opponents of Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza and pro-Ukraine groups loosely formed a Stop Trump Coalition. Anita Bhadani, an organiser, said the protests were kind of like a carnival of resistance. June Osbourne, 52, a photographer and photo historian from Edinburgh wore a red cloak and white hood, recalling The Handmaid's Tale. Osbourne held up picture of Trump with Resist stamped over his face. I think there are far too many countries that are feeling the pressure of Trump and that they feel that they have to accept him and we should not accept him here, Osbourne said. The dual-US-British citizen said the Republican president was the worst thing that has happened to the world, the US, in decades. Trump's late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland and the president has suggested he feels at home in the country. But the protesters did their best to change that. I don't think I could just stand by and not do anything, said Amy White, 15, of Edinburgh, who attended with her parents. She held a cardboard sign that said We don't negotiate with fascists. She said so many people here loathe him. We're not divided. We're not divided by religion, or race or political allegiance, we're just here together because we hate him. Other demonstrators held signs of pictures with Trump and Jeffrey Epstein as the fervour over files in the case has increasingly frustrated the president. In the view of Mark Gorman, 63, of Edinburgh, the vast majority of Scots have this sort of feeling about Trump that, even though he has Scottish roots, he's a disgrace. Gorman, who works in advertising, said he came out because I have deep disdain for Donald Trump and everything that he stands for. Saturday's protests were not nearly as large as the throngs that demonstrated across Scotland when Trump played at Turnberry during his first term in 2018. But, as bagpipes played, people chanted Trump Out! and raised dozens of homemade signs that said things like No red carpet for dictators, We don't want you here and Stop Trump. Migrants welcome. One dog had a sign that said No treats for tyrants. Some on the far right took to social media to call for gatherings supporting Trump in places such as Glasgow. Trump also plans to talk trade with Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president. But golf is a major focus. The family will also visit another Trump course near Aberdeen in northeastern Scotland, before returning to Washington on Tuesday. The Trumps will cut the ribbon and play a new, second course in that area, which officially opens to the public next month. Scottish First Minister John Swinney, who is also set to meet with Trump during the visit, announced that public money will go to staging the 2025 Nexo Championship, previously known previously as the Scottish Championship, at Trump's first course near Aberdeen next month. The Scottish Government recognises the importance and benefits of golf and golf events, including boosting tourism and our economy, Swinney said. At a protest Saturday in Aberdeen, Scottish Parliament member Maggie Chapman told the crowd of hundreds: We stand in solidarity, not only against Trump but against everything he and his politics stand for. The president has long lobbied for Turnberry to host the British Open, which it has not done since he took over ownership. In a social media post Saturday, Trump quoted the retired golfer Gary Player as saying Turnberry was among the Top Five Greatest Golf Courses he had played in as a professional. The president, in the post, misspelled the city where his golf course is located.
