World
MEPs award Sakharov Prize to the ‘brave people’ of Ukraine
The “courageous folks” of Ukraine defending their nation towards Russia’s relentless invasion have been awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the European Union’s highest tribute to human rights defenders.
The award is given yearly by the European Parliament and comes with a €50,000 endowment.
MEPs paid tribute to Ukrainians’ day by day struggle to guard their nation’s independence and uphold the values of freedom and democracy within the face of Russia’s “unprovoked battle of aggression.”
“They’re standing up for what they consider in. Preventing for our values. Risking their lives for us,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said on Wednesday afternoon, whereas unveiling the winner.
“Nobody is extra deserving.”
On behalf of the Ukrainian inhabitants, the prize can be handed to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for “his bravery, endurance and devotion to his folks,” as nicely to Ukraine’s civil society organisations.
Zelenskyy is unlikely to journey to Strasbourg on December 14, the date of the official Sakharov ceremony. The president has not left the nation since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion on 24 February.
The Sakharov Prize winner was chosen by the parliament’s convention of presidents, which Metsola chairs, amongst a pool of three finalists, together with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Colombia’s Fact Fee.
Even earlier than the official finalists had been introduced, Ukraine seemed to be the frontrunner.
Ukraine’s bid had been backed by the three major political teams, the European Folks’s Social gathering (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), and Renew Europe, giving it a transparent edge over the opposite two candidates.
Because the begin of the invasion, the hemicycle has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine, urging nationwide governments to impose extreme sanctions on the Kremlin and step up weapons deliveries.
In early March, mere days after Russian tanks crossed Ukraine’s borders, Zelenskyy delivered a rousing digital speech earlier than the European Parliament, and made the case for his war-torn nation to affix the bloc.
“Do show that you’re with us. Do show that you’ll not allow us to go. Do show that you’re certainly Europeans. After which, life will win over loss of life and light-weight will win over darkness. Glory be to Ukraine,” Zelenskyy mentioned.
The Ukrainian president was hailed as a hero and acquired a standing ovation from lawmakers. The parliament’s translator turned emotional whereas decoding Zelenskyy’s phrases.
Ukraine’s marketing campaign paid off in late June when the nation was granted EU candidate standing.
Nonetheless, Zelenskyy retains pleading with EU leaders to speed up navy assist and micro-financial help, as Russian forces improve their assaults on civilian targets and key infrastructure.
Assange and Colombia
In addition to Ukraine, the finalists for this yr’s Sakharov Prize included WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Colombia’s Fact Fee.
Assange, who was nominated by a bunch of 41 MEPs, is an Australian activist who faces spying fees in the US over a big trove of categorized paperwork that his organisation leaked to the general public greater than a decade in the past. The leaks uncovered proof of battle crimes, human rights violations and torture.
From London’s Belmarsh jail, Assange is battling an extradition order from the UK to the US. His legal professionals say he’s “being prosecuted and punished for his political beliefs” and may very well be sentenced to as much as 175 years behind bars if convicted in America.
The Fact Fee in Colombia, nominated by the Left group, was arrange in 2016 as a part of the peace settlement that dropped at an finish the battle between the nation’s authorities and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
The fee was tasked with reconstructing the six a long time of battle, establishing the details behind the human rights violations, and giving voice to the victims. The physique’s last report revealed that an estimated 450,000 folks had been killed between 1985 and 2018.
The Sakharov Prize was arrange in 1988 to honour people and organisations defending human rights and elementary freedoms. The annual award is known as in honour of Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov, an advocate of civil liberties within the former Soviet Union.
The primary recipients had been Nelson Mandela and Anatoli Marchenko. Final yr’s prize was awarded to imprisoned Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny.
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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