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Mexico to hand army control of National Guard, sparking outcry

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Mexico to hand army control of National Guard, sparking outcry

Mexico’s Senate has handed laws that will switch management of the nation’s Nationwide Guard over to the army, a contentious transfer that rights teams and opposition lawmakers say offers an excessive amount of energy to the armed forces and will result in abuses.

The Senate’s 71-51 vote in favour of the invoice on Friday comes after the decrease home of Congress already authorised the measure. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is anticipated to signal it into regulation.

When the Nationwide Guard was created below a constitutional reform in 2019, it was positioned below civilian management – however most of its coaching and recruitment has been achieved from inside the nation’s army.

Lopez Obrador, generally known as AMLO, has waved apart issues over the elevated militarisation of public safety, saying the guard should now be below army command to forestall corruption.

However opposition events have mentioned they plan to file courtroom appeals difficult the brand new laws, which they argue violates the Constitutional assure on civilian management.

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“Public security will not be achieved by violating the rule of regulation, by violating the Structure,” mentioned Senator Claudia Anaya Mota of the Institutional Revolutionary Get together.

The Mexican army has been criticised for a report of abuses and rights teams have warned that eradicating civilian management over the Nationwide Guard might result in comparable violations.

“Now we have already seen the disastrous outcomes of the militarization of public safety forces in Mexico over the past 16 years,” Edith Olivares Ferreto, government director of Amnesty Worldwide Mexico, mentioned in an announcement on Friday, criticising the Senate’s determination.

“We name on the manager department to design a plan for the progressive withdrawal of the armed forces from the streets, prioritizing the strengthening of civilian police forces and the event of public prevention insurance policies geared toward guaranteeing public security.”

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Nada Al-Nashif, the UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights, additionally mentioned that “the reforms successfully depart Mexico with out a civilian police pressure on the federal degree, and additional consolidate the already outstanding function of the armed forces in safety in Mexico”.

“The safety forces ought to be subordinated below civilian authorities,” Al-Nashif mentioned in an announcement.

However Lopez Obrador on Friday lashed out at critics, together with the United Nations.

“When did the United Nations take a stand?” he mentioned throughout a daily information convention, questioning what the physique had achieved to forestall struggle from breaking out between Russia and Ukraine.

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“These organisations that supposedly defend human rights, most of these organisations are made up of individuals on the best from completely different international locations of the world … as a result of they earn some huge cash for simulating, for pretending, for being go-betweens for authoritarian governments,” he mentioned.

Mexico has seen report ranges of violence in recent times, and members of the opposition and activists have accused the Nationwide Guard of assorted instances of abuse.

The ranks of the Nationwide Guard, made up of greater than 110,000 members, are largely stuffed with members of the military and marines. These officers retained their place within the army and had been thought of on mortgage to the guard.

Earlier than coming to energy in 2018, Lopez Obrador had pledged to ship the army again to the barracks. However he has tasked them with all kinds of assignments, together with combating drug cartels, serving to with varied infrastructure initiatives, reminiscent of a brand new airport within the capital, and constructing financial institution branches in rural areas.

Late final month, a Reality Fee investigating the 2014 disappearance of 43 college students mentioned that six of the scholars had been handed over to a military commander who ordered that they be killed. The surprising revelation immediately tied the army to one in all Mexico’s worst human rights scandals.

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Beyoncé NFL Halftime Show Will Be Available to Rewatch on Netflix as a Stand-Alone Special

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Beyoncé NFL Halftime Show Will Be Available to Rewatch on Netflix as a Stand-Alone Special

UPDATE, 12/25, 4:30 p.m. PT: Netflix said it will provide on-demand access to the full halftime performance of “Beyoncé Bowl” as a stand-alone special “later this week.” The 20-minute spectacle — her first live TV performance in four years — featured Post Malone, Shaboozey and her daughter Blue Ivy Carter to debut tracks from “Cowboy Carter” for the first time in a live setting.

EARLIER:

Beyoncé will light up the Houston night on Christmas with a halftime performance during the Ravens-Texans game on Netflix. To watch it, you’ll have to tune in live on Dec. 25 — otherwise, you’ll have only a few hours to catch the replay on Netflix.

Queen Bey’s Xmas performance will feature her first live performances of songs from “Cowboy Carter.” She’ll take the stage in her hometown during halftime of the Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans matchup at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Netflix, as part of its accelerating push into live sports, snagged global rights to the NFL’s two Christmas Day 2024 games: the Kansas City Chiefs at the Pittsburgh Steelers (starting at 1 p.m. ET), followed by the Ravens-Texans game (4:30 p.m. ET).

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Under Netflix’s agreement with the NFL, in the U.S., the two Christmas games expire three hours after the livestream ends (meaning Beyoncé’s performance and the Ravens-Texans game will no longer be available to rewatch on Netflix as of around 11 p.m. ET). Outside the U.S., the games expire on Netflix 24 hours after the livestream ends. The NFL livestreams will include ad breaks, even for Netflix subscribers on no-ads plans.

Few details are available for Beyoncé’s Christmas halftime show, but according to Netflix she is expected to bring along some “special guests” who are featured on “Cowboy Carter.” She’s a veteran of two Super Bowls: Beyoncé was the halftime performer for the 2013 game in New Orleans, which featured a Destiny’s Child reunion; and in 2016, she sang “Formation” when Coldplay was the headliner act.

On Christmas Day, Netflix’s pregame coverage will kick off at 11 a.m. ET, from NFL Network’s studios in L.A. and Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. The streamer has tapped Mariah Carey to deliver a recorded performance of her record-breaking holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” before both of the day’s two games.

If you missed the window for Netflix’s NFL livestreams, you still have the chance to catch the reruns. As it stands right now, NFL Network is scheduled to re-air Ravens-Texans on Wednesday, Dec. 25, at 11:30 p.m. ET and Thursday, Dec. 26, at 5 a.m. ET. The channel will re-air Chiefs-Steelers on Dec. 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET and Dec. 26 at 2 a.m. ET. There is the possibility for additional re-airs but portions of the NFL Network’s programming schedule are still being determined. In addition, replays of both games will be available with NFL+ Premium ($14.99/month) in the U.S. and via DAZN internationally.

Note also that the two Netflix Christmas Day games will air on broadcast TV in the competing teams’ local markets and will be available live on U.S. mobile devices with an NFL+ subscription.

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Zelenskyy lambastes Putin over Christmas strikes: 'What could be more inhumane?'

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Zelenskyy lambastes Putin over Christmas strikes: 'What could be more inhumane?'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy excoriated Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday for launching attacks against energy infrastructure on Christmas Day.

Zelenskyy suggested the attacks were “inhumane,” but said they would not ruin Christmas.

“Today, Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane? Over 70 missiles, including ballistic ones, and more than a hundred attack drones. The targets are our energy infrastructure. They continue to fight for a blackout in Ukraine,” he declared in a post on X.

The Russian Defence Ministry acknowledged a “massive strike” on its part, saying it hit energy facilities that supported Ukraine’s “military-industrial complex,” Reuters reported.

“The aim of the strike was achieved. All facilities have been hit,” the ministry said.

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RUSSIA BATTERS UKRAINE POWER GRID AMID RISING CONCERN PUTIN COULD ORDER BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACK THIS WEEKEND

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks with the media during the European Council Meeting in Brussels on Thursday. (Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)

Strikes against Ukrainian fuel and energy sources involved 78 air, ground and sea-launched missiles, in addition to 106 Shaheds and other kinds of drones, Ukraine’s air force claimed, according to The Associated Press.

“Unfortunately, there have been hits. As of now, there are power outages in several regions. Power engineers are working to restore power supply as soon as possible,” Zelenskyy noted. 

Still, the Ukrainian leader declared that “Russian evil will not break Ukraine and will not spoil Christmas.”

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US CITIZEN IMPRISONED IN RUSSIA GIVEN NEW 15-YEAR SENTENCE IN WAKE OF ESPIONAGE CONVICTION

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow on Thursday. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. has provided billions of dollars’ worth of aid to help Ukraine fight the Russian onslaught that erupted in 2022, but Americans and their congressional representatives have been divided regarding whether the U.S. should continue supplying aid to Ukraine.

President-elect Trump, who will take office on Jan. 20, has called for a cease-fire and negotiations.

TRUMP MEETS WITH MACRON, ZELENSKYY AHEAD OF NOTRE DAME REOPENING CEREMONY IN PARIS

President-elect Trump

President-elect Trump looks on during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix on Sunday.  (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

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In a post on Truth Social this month, Trump declared that “Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness. They have ridiculously lost 400,000 soldiers, and many more civilians. There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Five journalists killed in Israeli strike near Gaza hospital

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Five journalists killed in Israeli strike near Gaza hospital

Journalists from Al-Quds Today were covering events at al-Awda Hospital when their vehicle was struck.

Five journalists have been killed in an Israeli strike in the vicinity of a hospital in central Gaza, according to Palestinian authorities and media reports.

The journalists from the Al-Quds Today channel were covering events near al-Awda Hospital, located in the Nuseirat refugee camp, when their broadcasting van was hit by an Israeli air strike, Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif reported early on Thursday morning.

Footage from the scene circulating on social media shows a vehicle engulfed in flames.

A screenshot taken from a video of the white-coloured van shows the word “press” in large red lettering across the back of the vehicle.

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The deceased journalists have been named as Fadi Hassouna, Ibrahim al-Sheikh Ali, Mohammed al-Ladah, Faisal Abu al-Qumsan and Ayman al-Jadi.

Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif said that Ayman al-Jadi had been waiting for his wife in front of the hospital while she was in labour to give birth to their first child.

Civil defence teams retrieved the bodies of the victims and extinguished a fire at the scene, the Quds News Network said.

There was no immediate comment from Israeli authorities.

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The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) earlier this month condemned Israel’s killing of four Palestinian journalists in the space of a week, calling on the international community to hold the country accountable for its attacks against the media.

At least 141 journalists have been killed in Israel’s war in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the CPJ.

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