World
EU countries back tariff-free system for Ukrainian grain, despite bans
The inflow of tariff-free Ukrainian grain has precipitated the fury of farmers in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria.
European Union nations on Friday took step one in the direction of extending for one more 12 months the present suspension of tariffs and duties on Ukrainian grain coming into the interior market.
The suspension, which applies to a variety of agricultural merchandise, is supposed to assist Kyiv maintain its battered financial system and allow methods to convey its cereals to creating nations, an effort that has been severely difficult by Russia’s tight management over the Black Sea route.
The authorized textual content will now be despatched to the European Parliament after which come again to member states for last approval, which is meant to occur earlier than the current regime expires on 5 June.
“We welcome this primary approval however it’s not the top of the method,” stated a European Fee spokesperson in response to Friday’s determination.
The optimistic determination taken by ambassadors contrasts with the far-reaching bans that Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria have imposed on Ukrainian grain and different foodstuffs, an argument that has made worldwide headlines and forged doubts over the bloc’s solidarity with the war-torn nation.
The 4 Jap European nations, along with Romania, have for weeks complained the oversupply of tariff-free Ukrainian grain was filling up warehouses, miserable costs for native farmers and fostering unfair competitors.
The complaints escalated dramatically two weeks in the past, when Poland and Hungary introduced unilateral bans on a collection of Ukrainian agricultural merchandise, together with wheat and maize. Slovakia and Bulgaria shortly adopted go well with with their very own prohibitions, whereas Romania publicly mustered taking an analogous step.
The transfer caught Brussels unexpectedly and compelled the European Fee to problem a public rebuke, reminding member states that business coverage was an unique competence of the chief.
Since then, the Fee has been concerned in behind-the-scenes talks with the Jap European group with the intention to discover a widespread, negotiated resolution.
Talks are nonetheless ongoing and a breakthrough is but to emerge.
Brussels has proposed a collection of “distinctive” measures that may permit the transit of 4 Ukrainian merchandise – wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds – by the 5 nations however with out being bought for home consumption nor being saved of their territories.
In observe, this is able to quantity to legalising the bans below the veneer of an EU-wide framework.
The Fee has additionally put ahead a €100-million package deal to help affected farmers, however its disbursement is thought of contingent on the lifting of the unilateral prohibitions.
The 5 Jap European nations need the chief to additional broaden the listing of Ukrainian merchandise that can fall below the only-transit regime in order to probably embody eggs, dairy, meat and comparable agricultural items.
The Fee insists that any extra itemizing should be based mostly on information that proves a detrimental impression on native farmers.
Regardless of the persistent bans, no nation objected to the choice throughout Friday’s discussions amongst ambassadors, a number of diplomats informed Euronews.
The 5 Jap European nations don’t maintain enough votes to mount a so-called blocking minority.
The regulation, although, nonetheless must undergo the European Parliament’s legislative cycle after which come again to the EU Council, which suggests its future just isn’t but sealed.
Nonetheless, diplomats recommend a unfavorable vote is unlikely to occur given the crucial to keep up European unity in entrance of Russia’s aggression.
The proposed extension, which features a new safeguard mechanism to handle market instability, would run till 5 June 2024.
World
Jay-Z’s Accuser Can Remain Anonymous, Judge Criticizes His Lawyer’s ‘Relentless’ Filings
The woman accusing Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting her when she was 13 can proceed anonymously (“at least for now”) in her lawsuit against the rappers, a judge ruled Thursday.
New York Judge Analisa Torres also condemned the legal team representing Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) for the “relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks [on accuser’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee],” according to a court order obtained by Variety. “Since Carter’s attorney first appeared in this case seventeen days ago, he has submitted a litany of letters and motions attempting to impugn the character of Plaintiff’s lawyer [Buzbee].”
Judge Torres continues, calling the complaints “inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client [Jay-Z].”
Jane Doe, who filed her original lawsuit against Combs in October, and re-filed it with Carter’s name in early December, will remain anonymous at this early stage of the litigation. She could still be required by the court to reveal her identity.
Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Carter, recently asked the judge to dismiss the entertainer from the woman’s lawsuit. He cited a report from NBC News that revealed the accuser had admitted to some “inconsistencies and outright impossibilities” in her allegations. His team has also issued public statements referring to Buzbee as a “1-800 lawyer” who is “in the pursuit of money and fame.”
Judge Torres denied Carter’s request to dismiss the case. Representatives for Carter did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
In the last few weeks, Buzbee issued his own lawsuit against Roc Nation, the entertainment company owned by Carter, claiming they are using “shadowy operatives” to bribe his former clients into filing “frivolous” complaints against him. Carter has also sued Buzbee for defamation.
Jane Doe, who alleges she was 13 when Combs and Carter raped her in 2000, says she encountered the pair at an afterparty for the MTV Music Video Awards.
Carter responded to the allegation almost immediately. “You have made a terrible error in judgment thinking that all ‘celebrities’ are the same,” Carter wrote in a letter addressing Buzbee. “I’m not from your moral world. I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don’t play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children, you seem to exploit people for personal gain. Only your network of conspiracy theorists, fake physics, will believe the idiotic claims you have levied against me that, if not for the seriousness surrounding harm to kids, would be laughable.”
Combs has been held in a Brooklyn jail since September. He will remain there until his trial is scheduled to begin in May.
World
China unveils world's largest amphibious warship
China has launched the first of its new line of amphibious assault ships and its biggest warship yet, strengthening what is already the world’s largest navy.
The Sichuan, a type 076 new-generation amphibious assault ship, was put into the water at a launch and naming ceremony on Friday.
With a full load displacement of 40,000 tons, the warship ranks among the world’s largest amphibious assault ships, featuring a dual-island superstructure and full-length flight deck, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) said in a statement.
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China Bugle, an news outlet associated with the PLAN’s news media center, reported the ship will play a key role in transforming and developing the Chinese navy and enhancing its combat capabilities in the far seas.
The Sichuan is capable of launching fighter jets and unmanned drones from an electromagnetic catapult. It is designed to carry ground troops in landing craft with air support.
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The ship also features “arrester technology” that Chinese researchers boast will allow fighter jets to land on its deck, similar to an aircraft carrier.
China launched its first amphibious assault ship, a type 075 class warship called the Hainan, in 2019.
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The PLANmi has been working on modernizing its forces for more than a decade, with the aim of being able to operate globally rather than being restricted to waters near the Chinese mainland. China first managed to launch fighter jets with the new electromagnetic technology on its homemade aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which launched two years ago.
The Sichuan will now undergo additional tests at sea.
China has the largest navy in the world and is consistently trying to upgrade its fleet. Recently, researchers found that the country is working on designing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which would allow it to deploy its ships in distant waters without needing a base to refuel.
The U.S. Navy currently has 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers deployed in strategic locations globally, including in the Asia-Pacific.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
Health worker displaced by Israeli attacks in Gaza dies of ‘extreme cold’
Many people in Gaza lack adequate shelter and are malnourished after more than a year of Israeli attacks and blockades.
A Palestinian healthcare worker has died due to “extreme” weather conditions, according to a statement by the enclave’s Ministry of Health, as severe cold compounds the hardship faced by people displaced by Israel’s relentless attacks.
The body of Al-Hakim Ahmed al-Zaharneh, who worked at the European Gaza Hospital, was found inside his tent in al-Mawasi area, west of the city of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, the ministry said on Friday.
“This incident comes in light of the difficult humanitarian conditions that displaced citizens are experiencing, as the suffering of Gaza residents increases due to low temperatures and the lack of heating means in tents,” the ministry said.
The ministry said earlier that four Palestinian babies have died in tents in recent days amid the cold weather and widespread malnutrition.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said that the number of casualties in vulnerable groups is increasing due to worsening weather conditions.
“For 14 months now, people here have been lacking basic necessities to help them survive these difficult conditions – even in summer,” he said.
“Now in winter, the temperature has dropped very low, [and] people in tent camps feel the cold as being [colder] than the actual levels.”
He said that mothers often lack the strength or ability to breastfeed as they are malnourished and unwell.
“The conditions are worse for vulnerable groups like babies and, in the absence of [humanitarian aid], it is natural that deaths will happen.”
The vast majority of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced at least once since war broke out with the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023, with many people living in tents that offer little protection from the cold, rain and flooding.
The United Nations and other organisations have repeatedly decried the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, as Israeli attacks and blockades severely curtail access to food, water, medicine and other supplies.
A leading United States government organisation monitoring food crises around the world withdrew a new report this week warning of imminent famine in north Gaza under what it called Israel’s “near-total blockade,” after the US asked for its retraction, US officials told The Associated Press.
The move follows public criticism of the report from the US ambassador to Israel.
The report by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) had warned that a “famine scenario” was unfolding in northern Gaza where Israel launched a renewed offensive in early October.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the director of Gaza’s Health Ministry told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces stormed the Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the few remaining medical facilities in north Gaza, and forced the 350 people there to evacuate, including all the patients and staff. He said contact with the hospital had been lost.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 45,436 Palestinians and wounded 108,038 since October 7, 2023, according to figures released on Friday by Gaza’s Health Ministry.
An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and more than 200 were taken captive.
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