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Political Dispute in Iran after Tightening Restrictions on Khatami

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. Official Website
Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. Official Website
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Political Dispute in Iran after Tightening Restrictions on Khatami

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. Official Website
Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. Official Website

The reformist faction in the Iranian parliament has protested “new restrictions” imposed on the country’s former president, Mohammad Khatami, calling them “explicit and obvious” violation of articles of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, 86 MPs have called upon President Hassan Rouhani to step in to prevent the restrictions and report the outcome to the parliament.

However, the spokesman of the judiciary, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei has insisted that the restrictions are not “new” and are merely the extension of “old” measures imposed on the reformist ex-president based on a resolution approved by the Supreme National Security Council Secretariat (SNSCS).

Rouhani, who also presides over the SNSCS, has dismissed the judiciary’s claims as unfounded. His ministers have also insisted that the SNSCS has never issued a resolution banning Khatami from attending public ceremonies.

The Reformist faction Omid (Hope) in the parliament issued a statement on Sunday, saying “increasing restrictions on Khatami’s presence at cultural, political and promotional ceremonies” are in violation of the Articles 20, 23, 36 and 37 of the country’s Constitution.

“These restrictions”, the faction asserted, “have increased the former president’s popularity.”

Furthermore, in a reminder for Rouhani, several MPs called upon him, as the head of the Supreme National Security Council, to guard “fundamental rights” and prevent any move that “restricts citizens’ rights”.

The MPs also asked Rouhani to act against the recent conviction of several political activists and report its outcome to the public.

An opposition website close to Iranian Green Movement, Kalemeh has reported that “the Special Clerical Court has sent a letter to former president Khatami informing him that, for a period of three months, he is barred from attending any political and promotional ceremonies.”

The letter was signed by the head of the Special Clerical Court, and the runner-up in the May 19 presidential election, Ebrahim Raeisi.

Based on the letter, 74-year old Khatami is now barred from attending assemblies, conferences, seminars, theaters, artistic ceremonies and performances, including, concerts, recitals and dramas. The letter has gone much further, barring the reformist ex-president from attending non-family gatherings, including private meetings with activists.

Khatami is believed to have played a crucial role in Rouhani’s ascension to the presidency in 2013 and 2017, apparently convincing his second term vice president, the reformist challenger Mohammad Reza Aref to step aside in favor of Rouhani.

Rouhani, categorically denied the judiciary’s claims, affirming on Saturday, “the reason behind the restrictions against Khatami is the fact that they want to punish somebody” [Khatami] for his impact on the “elections”; referring to the time when the former president urged the people to go to the polls.

“If anybody repeats that people should head to the ballot box, they should be punished?” he asked.

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World

Xi Heads to Europe to Defend Russia Ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and French President Emmanuel Macron met in China in April 2023. Thibault Camus / POOL/AFP
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and French President Emmanuel Macron met in China in April 2023. Thibault Camus / POOL/AFP
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Xi Heads to Europe to Defend Russia Ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and French President Emmanuel Macron met in China in April 2023. Thibault Camus / POOL/AFP
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and French President Emmanuel Macron met in China in April 2023. Thibault Camus / POOL/AFP

Xi Jinping heads to Europe on Sunday to defend China's "no limits" alliance with Russia, first to key Ukraine backer France, then to Serbia and Hungary, which have close ties to the Kremlin.
The world's second-biggest economy is seeking to deepen political and economic ties in Europe to counterbalance difficult relations with rival Washington, AFP reported.
But analysts say that if France and other Ukraine allies in Europe believe that Xi can be coaxed into abandoning his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, they will be disappointed.
Despite French President Emmanuel Macron's red carpet welcome for Xi when he arrives on Sunday, their talks will be far from straightforward.
In Paris on Monday, Xi and Macron will hold talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who has urged Beijing to play a greater role in ending the Ukraine war.
"If the European side expects China to impose sanctions on Russia, or to join the United States and Europe in imposing economic sanctions on Russia, I think it's clearly unlikely to happen," said Ding Chun, director of the Centre for European Studies at Shanghai's Fudan University.
Xi is seeking to push back on recent European Union probes into China's industry, but France has made clear that "first and foremost" on the agenda will be Russia's war in Ukraine.
China claims to be a neutral party in Ukraine but has never condemned Russia's invasion, while the United States has said Moscow would struggle to sustain its war without Beijing's support.
Beijing is "the international player with the greatest leverage to change Moscow's mind", a French diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"Paris will put China's support to Russia at the core of the discussion," said Abigael Vasselier, at the Mercator Institute for China Studies.
"This will certainly not be conducive to a feel-good moment, despite the optics."
How far will Xi go?
Xi's visit to Europe will be the first since the end of China's Covid isolation.
It also comes a year after Macron conducted a state visit to China in April 2023, during which he said he was counting on Xi to "bring Russia to its senses" over Ukraine.
At the time, Macron exasperated European allies by saying the bloc should not be dragged into a conflict between China and its main rival the United States over Taiwan -- while earning praise in Beijing over the comments.
In February this year, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited France and told Macron that Beijing appreciated its "independent foreign policy".
"We will see how far Xi Jinping will go to please Emmanuel Macron," said Valerie Niquet, from the Foundation for Strategic Research.
After he ends his European trip, Xi will return to China, with Putin expected to visit later in May.
"China will not budge on Ukraine," Niquet said.
'Price to pay'
While Macron and von der Leyen will seek to focus on Ukraine, Xi will want to fight a series of probes launched by the bloc into alleged unfair trade practices by China.
The investigations run the gamut across China's industrial output, from solar panels and electric vehicle subsidies, to procurement in its medical devices sector.
Beijing has slammed the moves as "protectionism".
"The Chinese side is very keen to bring this to the table, but France is behind the European Commission plans," Philippe Le Corre, from the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, told AFP.
"It is time for European leaders to explain to China that the price to pay for its growing support to Russia's war effort will increase," the Mercator Institute's Vasselier said.
'Eastern opening'
From France, Xi will head to Serbia, and then Hungary on May 8-10.
The visit to the Serbian capital Belgrade will coincide with the anniversary of the 1999 US bombing of the Chinese embassy there -- allowing for Xi to send a pointed anti-Western message.
China has invested heavily to expand its economic footprint in central and eastern Europe, including vast battery and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing plants in Hungary, and copper and gold operations in Serbia.
"The plan to commemorate the... NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy... also paves the way for Putin's visit to China: NATO is a threat to international security," said Wang Yiwei, director of the Center for European Union Studies at Renmin University of China.
In Budapest, he will meet Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an avowed nationalist who opposes the official EU position on Russia.
Orban has been championing an "Eastern opening" foreign policy since his return to power in 2010, seeking closer economic ties to China, Russia and other Asian countries.
Despite its small size, the Central European country of 9.6 million people has attracted a flood of major Chinese projects in recent years.
Orban spoke last month about his vision for a "sovereignist world", where the "global economy is organized non-ideologically along the lines of mutual benefit."

World

Nearly 2,200 People Have Been Arrested during Pro-Palestinian Protests on US College Campuses

Pro-Palestinian protesters, including students and faculty of universities across Philadelphia, held Seder during the fourth day of the protest encampment at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 28, 2024. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher / AFP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters, including students and faculty of universities across Philadelphia, held Seder during the fourth day of the protest encampment at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 28, 2024. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher / AFP)
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Nearly 2,200 People Have Been Arrested during Pro-Palestinian Protests on US College Campuses

Pro-Palestinian protesters, including students and faculty of universities across Philadelphia, held Seder during the fourth day of the protest encampment at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 28, 2024. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher / AFP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters, including students and faculty of universities across Philadelphia, held Seder during the fourth day of the protest encampment at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 28, 2024. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher / AFP)

Police have arrested nearly 2,200 people during pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses across the United States in recent weeks, sometimes using riot gear, tactical vehicles and flash-bang devices to clear tent encampments and occupied buildings. One officer accidentally discharged his gun inside a Columbia University administration building while clearing out protesters camped inside, authorities said.
No one was injured by the officer's mistake late Tuesday inside Hamilton Hall on the Columbia campus, the NYPD said Thursday. He was trying to use the flashlight attached to his gun at the time and instead fired a single round that struck a frame on the wall.
There were other officers but no students in the immediate vicinity, officials said. Body camera footage shows when the officer's gun went off, but the district attorney's office is conducting a review, a standard practice.
More than 100 people were taken into custody during the Columbia crackdown, just a fraction of the total arrests stemming from recent campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war. A tally by The Associated Press recorded at least 56 incidents of arrests at 43 different US colleges or universities since April 18. The figures are based on AP reporting and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies.
Early Thursday, officers surged against a crowd of demonstrators at University of California, Los Angeles, ultimately taking at least 200 protesters into custody after hundreds defied orders to leave, some forming human chains as police fired flash-bangs to break up the crowds. Police tore apart a fortified encampment’s barricade of plywood, pallets, metal fences and dumpsters, then pulled down canopies and tents.
Like at UCLA, tent encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies they say support the war in Gaza have spread across other campuses nationwide in a student movement unlike any other this century.
Israel has branded the protests antisemitic, while Israel’s critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, protest organizers — some of whom are Jewish — call it a peaceful movement to defend Palestinian rights and protest the war.
President Joe Biden on Thursday defended the right of students to peaceful protest but decried the disorder of recent days.
The demonstrations began at Columbia on April 17 with students calling for an end to the Israel-Hamas war, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there. Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, on Oct. 7 and took roughly 250 hostages in an attack on southern Israel.
On April 18, the NYPD cleared Columbia's initial encampment and arrested roughly 100 protesters. The demonstrators set up new tents and defied threats of suspension, and escalated their actions early Tuesday by occupying Hamilton Hall, an administration building that was similarly seized in 1968 by students protesting racism and the Vietnam War.
Roughly 20 hours later, officers stormed the hall. Video showed police with zip ties and riot shields streaming through a second-floor window. Police had said protesters inside presented no substantial resistance.
The officer's gun went off at 9:38 p.m., the NYPD said, about 10 minutes after police started pouring into Hamilton Hall. The department did not name the officer, whose actions were first reported by news outlet The City on Thursday.
The confrontations at UCLA also played out over several days this week. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block told alumni on a call Thursday afternoon that the trouble started after a permitted pro-Israel rally was held on campus Sunday and fights broke out and “live mice” were tossed into the pro-Palestinian encampment later that day.
In the following days, administrators tried to find a peaceful solution with members of the encampment and expected things to remain stable, Block said.
That changed late Tuesday, he said, when counterdemonstrators attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment. Campus administrators and police did not intervene or call for backup for hours. No one was arrested that night, but at least 15 protesters were injured. The delayed response drew criticism from political leaders, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and officials pledged an independent review.
By Wednesday, the encampment had become “much more of a bunker” and there was no other solution but to have police dismantle it, Block said.
The hourslong standoff went into Thursday morning as officers warned over loudspeakers that there would be arrests if the crowd — at the time more than 1,000 strong inside the encampment as well as outside of it — did not disperse. Hundreds left voluntarily, while another 200-plus remained and were ultimately taken into custody.
Meanwhile, protest encampments at other schools across the US have been cleared by police — resulting in more arrests — or closed voluntarily. But University of Minnesota officials reached an agreement with protesters not to disrupt commencements, and similar compromises have been made at Northwestern University in suburban Chicago, Rutgers University in New Jersey and Brown University in Rhode Island.

World

Israel Says Türkiye’s Erdogan Is Breaking Agreements by Blocking Ports for Trade

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint statement to the media in Baghdad, Iraq April 22, 2024. (Reuters)
Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint statement to the media in Baghdad, Iraq April 22, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israel Says Türkiye’s Erdogan Is Breaking Agreements by Blocking Ports for Trade

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint statement to the media in Baghdad, Iraq April 22, 2024. (Reuters)
Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint statement to the media in Baghdad, Iraq April 22, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel's foreign minister said on Thursday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was breaking agreements by blocking ports for Israeli imports and exports.

"This is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen, and ignoring international trade agreements," Foreign Minister Israel Katz posted on X.

Katz said he instructed the foreign ministry to work to create alternatives for trade with Türkiye, focusing on local production and imports from other countries.

Bloomberg reported on Thursday that Türkiye had stopped all exports and imports to and from Israel, citing two Turkish officials.

The Turkish presidency, foreign and trade ministries were not immediately available for comment.

The two countries had a trade volume of $6.8 billion in 2023.

Türkiye last month imposed trade restrictions on Israel over what it said was Israel's refusal to allow Ankara to take part in aid air-drop operations for Gaza and its offensive on the enclave.

Asked about Türkiye’s ongoing trade with Israel despite the harsh rhetoric from Ankara, Erdogan said last month that Türkiye no longer continued "intense trade" with Israel, adding "that is done".

He did not indicate Ankara had cut off all trade with Israel, however.

World

Biden Says ‘Order Must Prevail’ During Campus Protests over the War in Gaza

US President Joe Biden speaks about student protests at US universities, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, during brief remarks in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, US, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden speaks about student protests at US universities, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, during brief remarks in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, US, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
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Biden Says ‘Order Must Prevail’ During Campus Protests over the War in Gaza

US President Joe Biden speaks about student protests at US universities, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, during brief remarks in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, US, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden speaks about student protests at US universities, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, during brief remarks in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, US, May 2, 2024. (Reuters)

President Joe Biden on Thursday defended the right to protest but insisted that "order must prevail" as college campuses across the country face unrest over the war in Gaza.

"Dissent is essential for democracy," he said at the White House. "But dissent must never lead to disorder."

Tensions have been building for days as demonstrators refuse to remove campus encampments and administrators turn to police to clear them by force, leading to clashes that have seized attention from politicians and the media.

Biden said he did not support calls to send in the National Guard. He also said that the protests have not prompted him to reconsider his approach to the war. The Democratic president has occasionally criticized Israel's conduct but continued to supply it with weapons.

His remarks, occurring shortly before he left the White House for a trip to North Carolina, came after days of silence about the protests. Republicans have tried to turn the scenes of unrest into a campaign cudgel, and Biden said he rejected efforts to use the situation to "score political points."

"This isn’t a moment for politics," he said. "It’s a moment for clarity."

Biden's last previous public comment on the protests came more than a week ago, when he condemned "antisemitic protests" and "those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians."

The White House, which has been peppered with questions by reporters, had gone only slightly further than the president. On Wednesday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden is "monitoring the situation closely," and she said some demonstrations had stepped over a line that separated free speech from unlawful behavior.

"Forcibly taking over a building," such as what happened at Columbia University in New York, "is not peaceful," she said. "It’s just not."

Biden has never been much for protesting. His career in elected office began as a county official when he was only 28 years old, and he’s always espoused the political importance of compromise over zealousness.

As college campuses convulsed with anger over the Vietnam War in 1968, Biden was in law school at Syracuse University.

"I’m not big on flak jackets and tie-dyed shirts," he said years later. "You know, that’s not me."

Despite the White House's criticism and Biden's refusal to heed protesters' demands to cut off US support for Israel, Republicans blame Democrats for the disorder and have used it as a backdrop for press conferences.

"We need the president of the United States to speak to the issue and say this is wrong," House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said on Tuesday. "What’s happening on college campuses right now is wrong."

Johnson visited Columbia with other members of his caucus last week. House Republicans sparred with protesters while speaking to the media at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

Former President Donald Trump, his party's presumptive nominee, also criticized Biden in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News.

"Biden has to do something," he said. "Biden is supposed to be the voice of our country, and it’s certainly not much of a voice. It’s a voice that nobody’s heard."

He repeated his criticisms on Wednesday during a campaign event in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

"The radical extremists and far-left agitators are terrorizing college campuses, as you possibly noticed," Trump said. "And Biden’s nowhere to be found. He hasn’t said anything."

Kate Berner, who served as deputy communications director for Biden’s campaign in 2020, said Republicans already tried the same tactic four years ago during protests over George Floyd’s murder by a police officer.

"People rejected that," she said. "They saw that it was just fearmongering. They saw that it wasn’t based in reality."

Apart from condemning antisemitism, the White House has been reluctant to directly engage on the issue.

Jean-Pierre repeatedly deflected questions during a briefing on Monday.

Asked whether protesters should be disciplined by their schools, she said "universities and colleges make their own decisions" and "we’re not going to weigh in from here."

Pressed on whether police should be called in, she said "that's up to the colleges and universities."

When quizzed about administrators rescheduling graduation ceremonies, she said "that is a decision that they have to decide" and "that is on them."

Biden will make his own visit to a college campus on May 19 when he's scheduled to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse University in Atlanta.

World

Ukraine War Not Likely to End Anytime Soon, Says Top US Spy

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
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Ukraine War Not Likely to End Anytime Soon, Says Top US Spy

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin sees domestic and international developments trending in his favor and likely will press on with aggressive tactics in Ukraine, but the war is unlikely to end soon, the top US intelligence official said on Thursday.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia has intensified strikes on Ukraine's infrastructure to hamper Kyiv's ability to move arms and troops, slow defense production and force it to consider negotiations.

"Putin's increasingly aggressive tactics against Ukraine, such as strikes on Ukraine's electricity infrastructure, are intended to impress Ukraine that continuing to fight will only increase the damage to Ukraine and offer no plausible path to victory," she said.

"These aggressive tactics are likely to continue and the war is unlikely to end anytime soon," Haines said.

She and Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, were testifying before the committee on the intelligence community's 2024 assessment of the threats facing the United States.

On China, considered by the United States as its main global rival, Haines said Chinese President Xi Jinping and his top leaders expect some future instability in relations with Washington.

But, she continued, they will seek to project stability in those ties as their top priority is grappling with China's troubled economy.

Rather than pursue policies to stimulate consumer spending or encourage investment, they appears to be "doubling down" on a long-term strategy driven by manufacturing and technological innovation, she said.

That approach, however, "will almost certainly deepen public and investment pessimism over the near term," she said.

China is grappling with economic headwinds, including tepid domestic demand, high youth unemployment, and a property crisis. Beijing has ramped up infrastructure investment and turned to investing in high-tech manufacturing, but some economists warn that could exacerbate long-term imbalances.

Xi and his top leaders are growing concerned about the US ability to disrupt China’s technological goals and have "modified their approach to economic retaliation against the United States" by "imposing at least some tangible costs on US firms," Haines said.

She apparently was referring to raids on US companies that have chilled China's foreign business environment, and Beijing’s expansion of restrictions on US technology applications over national security concerns.

However, US intelligence agencies assess that over the coming months, China likely will limit such economic retaliation to avoid damaging its domestic economy, she said.

"In particular, the significant decline in foreign direct investment in China, down 77 percent in 2023, is likely to prompt the PRC (Peoples Republic of China) to be more measured in its responses absent an unexpected escalation by the United States," she said.

World

Russia Denies US Accusation it Violated Chemical Weapons Ban in Ukraine 

A handout picture made available by the Odesa Regional State Administration Oleh Kiper Telegram channel shows the storage site of the "Nova Poshta" postal service following a missile strike in Odesa, Ukraine, 29 April 2024. (EPA/Odesa Regional State Administration handout)
A handout picture made available by the Odesa Regional State Administration Oleh Kiper Telegram channel shows the storage site of the "Nova Poshta" postal service following a missile strike in Odesa, Ukraine, 29 April 2024. (EPA/Odesa Regional State Administration handout)
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Russia Denies US Accusation it Violated Chemical Weapons Ban in Ukraine 

A handout picture made available by the Odesa Regional State Administration Oleh Kiper Telegram channel shows the storage site of the "Nova Poshta" postal service following a missile strike in Odesa, Ukraine, 29 April 2024. (EPA/Odesa Regional State Administration handout)
A handout picture made available by the Odesa Regional State Administration Oleh Kiper Telegram channel shows the storage site of the "Nova Poshta" postal service following a missile strike in Odesa, Ukraine, 29 April 2024. (EPA/Odesa Regional State Administration handout)

Russia on Thursday denied a US accusation that its forces in Ukraine had violated an international ban on chemical weapons by using substances including a prohibited choking agent.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow remained bound by its obligations under the treaty that bans chemical weapons.

The United States on Wednesday accused Russia of violating it by deploying the choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops and using riot control agents "as a method of warfare" in Ukraine.

"As always, such announcements are absolutely unfounded and are not supported by anything. Russia has been and remains committed to its obligations under international law in this area," Peskov said.

World

South Korea Raises Diplomatic Alert Levels Citing North Korea Threats 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches a football game while visiting Kim Il Sung Military University on the occasion of the 92nd founding anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, in Pyongyang, North Korea, April 25, 2024, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches a football game while visiting Kim Il Sung Military University on the occasion of the 92nd founding anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, in Pyongyang, North Korea, April 25, 2024, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
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South Korea Raises Diplomatic Alert Levels Citing North Korea Threats 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches a football game while visiting Kim Il Sung Military University on the occasion of the 92nd founding anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, in Pyongyang, North Korea, April 25, 2024, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches a football game while visiting Kim Il Sung Military University on the occasion of the 92nd founding anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, in Pyongyang, North Korea, April 25, 2024, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)

South Korea's foreign ministry on Thursday raised the terrorism alert level for five diplomatic offices in the region citing intelligence that North Korea may attempt to harm its officials.

The five locations include Seoul's embassies in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, as well as consulates in Vladivostok, Russia, and Shenyang, China, the ministry said in a statement.

The terrorism alert level was raised from Attention to Alert, the second highest among South Korea's four classifications, which indicates the chances of an attack are strong, the foreign ministry said.

Separately, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it had a "number of indications that North Korea is preparing to carry out terrorist attacks against our diplomatic officers and citizens," but did not elaborate on the nature of the threats.

Pyongyang has dispatched agents to those countries to tighten surveillance of the South Korean missions, the NIS said.

The North Korean embassy in London did not respond to repeated phone calls for requests for comment.

The North's government-controlled media has criticized allegations of terrorism against it as US-led efforts to discredit opponents of Washington.

The foreign ministry statement also said South Korea's National Counter Terrorism Center held a meeting on Thursday to discuss measures to protect the diplomatic offices and officials who work there.

During the Cold War, North Korea was accused of carrying out several attacks on civilian targets, including bombings at a Seoul airport and a South Korean airliner in the 1980s.

The United States placed North Korea back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism in 2017, citing the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which was carried out with VX nerve agent at an airport in Malaysia.

World

Israeli Govt Gets New May 16 Deadline in Ultra-Orthodox Conscription Feud 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel on Oct. 28, 2023. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel on Oct. 28, 2023. (AP)
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Israeli Govt Gets New May 16 Deadline in Ultra-Orthodox Conscription Feud 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel on Oct. 28, 2023. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel on Oct. 28, 2023. (AP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured another reprieve in a long-running Israeli dispute over exemptions of ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service, with the Supreme Court on Thursday deferring the deadline for a new conscription plan to May 16.

The court, hearing appeals that described the decades-old waiver as discriminatory, had given March 31 as the original deadline. That was extended to April 30 at the request of the government, which argued it was busy waging the Gaza war, and which last week asked for a further deferral.

Netanyahu's coalition includes two ultra-Orthodox parties that regard the exemptions as key to keeping their constituents in religious seminaries and away from a melting-pot military that might test their conservative values.

The latest extension is shorter than that requested by the government, but may still spare Netanyahu a public reckoning over the combustible issue ahead of Israel's day of commemoration for fallen soldiers on May 13.

The holiday is expected to be especially fraught this year, amid an open-ended war in Gaza and knock-on fighting on other fronts that have exacted the worst Israeli casualties - mostly among teenaged draftees and reservists - in decades.

The ultra-Orthodox make up 13% of Israel's 10 million population, a figure expected to reach 19% by 2035 due to their high birth rates. Economists argue that the conscription waiver keeps some of the community unnecessarily out of the workforce, spelling a growing welfare burden for middle-class taxpayers.

Israel's 21% Arab minority are also mostly exempted from the draft, under which men and women are generally called up at age 18, with men serving 32 months and women 24 months.

World

Switzerland Says Russia Not Invited ‘at This Stage’ to Ukraine Peace Talks 

A view shows a postal depot destroyed during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
A view shows a postal depot destroyed during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
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Switzerland Says Russia Not Invited ‘at This Stage’ to Ukraine Peace Talks 

A view shows a postal depot destroyed during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine May 2, 2024. (Reuters)
A view shows a postal depot destroyed during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine May 2, 2024. (Reuters)

The Swiss government said on Thursday that "at this stage" Russia is not among the 160 delegations invited to talks to be held in Switzerland in mid-June aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.

"Switzerland is convinced that Russia must be involved in this process," the Swiss government said in a statement. "A peace process without Russia is not possible."

The Swiss government said it had always shown openness to inviting Russia but noted that Moscow had repeatedly underlined it has no interest in participating in the first summit.

Russian officials have pointed to Switzerland's adoption of EU sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, and argued it therefore lacks credibility as a neutral broker.

Switzerland in January said it would host a peace summit at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

The invited delegations include members of the G7, G20, BRICS groups, the EU, international organizations and two religious representatives, the Swiss government said.

The government reiterated it aims to create a framework to bring about a lasting peace in Ukraine, as well as a roadmap for Russia's participation in the peace process.

The talks will be held June 15-16 at the Bürgenstock resort in the canton of Nidwalden outside the city of Lucerne.

World

Trump Blasts Biden in Rare Day on Campaign Trail 

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on May 1, 2024. (AFP)
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on May 1, 2024. (AFP)
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Trump Blasts Biden in Rare Day on Campaign Trail 

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on May 1, 2024. (AFP)
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on May 1, 2024. (AFP)

Donald Trump used a break in his hush money trial to stage back-to-back appearances in two Midwestern battleground states Wednesday -- but kept his legal woes front-and-center as he accused President Joe Biden of weaponizing the courts against him.

The former Republican president, who is running for a return to the White House, rallied supporters in Wisconsin and Michigan, among the most hotly contested states in his expected rematch with Democrat Biden in November.

The speeches featured all of Trump's go-to set-pieces, from complaints about environmentally friendly household appliances to apocalyptic warnings of a looming world war -- but his evening speech in Michigan was notable for its vitriol.

"Every single thing he touches turns to [expletive]," Trump said of Biden in a speech in Freeland, Michigan peppered with profane language about his criminal charges, his 2020 election defeat and his determination to win reelection in November.

Trump had already spoken in an afternoon rally in the Wisconsin town of Waukesha, where he railed against Biden's handling of the economy and immigration.

In both appearances he accused Democrats of "executing" newborn babies as he turned to the deeply divisive issue of abortion rights, and in both he revived baseless claims that Biden is behind the 88 felony charges he is facing.

"I've got to do two of these things a day," he told a sea of red hats at his Michigan rally.

"You know why? Because I'm in New York all the time with the Biden trial -- a fake trial that all of the legal scholars say is a disgrace," he said in Michigan.

Trump regularly claims that his indictments -- three for alleged cheating in elections and one for hoarding classified documents -- are being orchestrated as part of a political witch hunt, but never offers any evidence.

The 77-year-old tycoon used his rare day on the stump to project his preferred image as a confident, seasoned campaigner, far from the Manhattan courtroom where he is accused of covering up payments to a porn star before the 2016 presidential election.

Trump is the first former US president to face criminal charges, and the trial appears to have annoyed him to no end.

For two weeks he has been sitting through long hours of witness testimony, visibly bored and angry at no-nonsense Judge Juan Merchan, who required him to be present -- and then imposed a gag order prohibiting Trump from publicly attacking witnesses, jurors or court staff.

Before and after each day's proceedings, Trump has been addressing journalists outside, venting about his legal problems, the US economy, his wife's birthday and the "freezing" temperature inside the courtroom.

'No control'

"He hates being there in court, where he is just another criminal defendant," political expert Larry Sabato from the University of Virginia told AFP. "He has no control and is not in charge."

Biden's campaign has not missed a chance to bait his opponent over his legal troubles -- referring to Trump as "Sleepy Don" after reports from the courtroom that the Republican was nodding off during the proceedings.

The nickname evoked the "Sleepy Joe" taunt Trump has long used for Biden.

Biden has advanced in the polls since March, with the two candidates now running neck and neck.

But Trump and his supporters hope to harness the media attention surrounding the trial to fire up his base, and push his message that Democrats are destroying the country through negligence on border security and poor economic stewardship.

In Waukesha, the former president accused Biden of being too passive on the pro-Palestinian student demonstrations that have convulsed college campuses nationwide, and of allowing the country to be "invaded" by migrant hordes.

Although Trump is energized by his campaign rallies, he had not held a single one since the start of his trial on April 15, with the only planned event cancelled due to weather.

"I have come here today from New York City where I'm being forced to sit for days on end in a kangaroo courtroom with a corrupt and conflicted judge enduring a Biden Sideshow trial at the hands of a Marxist district attorney," he complained in Michigan.