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Fresh off prison release, former Trump adviser Bannon returns to court

Fresh off prison release, former Trump adviser Bannon returns to court
Steve Bannon, former advisor to President-elect Donald Trump, arrives for a court hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court on November 12, 2024 in New York City. (AFP)
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Updated 12 November 2024
Reuters
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Fresh off prison release, former Trump adviser Bannon returns to court

Fresh off prison release, former Trump adviser Bannon returns to court
  • Bannon has called himself a “political prisoner” and resumed hosting his “War Room” podcast, known for its fierce criticism of Trump’s opponents
Updated 12 November 2024
Reuters
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NEW YORK: Steve Bannon, a former adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, returned to court on Tuesday ahead of his trial on criminal fraud charges over a push to fund Trump’s signature border wall, weeks after he was released from prison on a separate conviction. Bannon, 70, is scheduled to stand trial starting on Dec. 9 in New York state court in Manhattan. Prosecutors say he deceived donors who contributed more than $15 million in 2019 to a private fundraising drive to build a barrier along the US-Mexico border. He has pleaded not guilty.
At the hearing, Bannon’s defense lawyer John Carman urged Acting Justice April Newbauer to delay the trial until January due to additional evidence prosecutors were seeking to introduce.
Newbauer did not rule on that request, but said she would hold a hearing on Monday to determine whether the evidence could be presented at trial.
Construction of a border wall was a key element of Trump’s immigration policies during his presidency, supported by his fellow Republicans but opposed by Democrats and immigrant advocacy groups. Trump again made cracking down on illegal immigration a centerpiece of his successful 2024 campaign.
In the final hours of his first four-year term in January 2021, Trump pardoned Bannon on federal charges brought in 2020 over the same underlying conduct.
The following year, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, secured a four-count indictment of Bannon on charges including money laundering, conspiracy and scheme to defraud.
Presidential pardons do not prohibit state prosecutions. If Bannon is convicted at trial, Trump would not be able to pardon him after returning to the White House on Jan. 20.
According to Bragg’s indictment, Bannon promised donors that all their money would go toward building Trump’s wall, but he concealed his role in diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars to the drive’s chief executive, Brian Kolfage, a decorated US Air Force veteran who had promised to take no salary.
Bannon’s lawyers have argued that Bannon transferred some funds to entities Kolfage controlled to reimburse him for reasonable expenses.
Kolfage pleaded guilty in April 2022 to federal fraud and tax charges, and is serving a 4-1/4-year prison sentence. Neither he nor two other men indicted alongside Bannon were pardoned by Trump.
Bannon was a key adviser to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, then served as his chief White House strategist in 2017 before a falling-out between them, which was later patched up. He also has played an instrumental role in right-wing media.
In a separate federal case, Bannon was convicted at trial in 2022 of two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress after refusing to turn over documents or testify to a Democratic-led House of Representatives committee that probed the Jan. 6, 2021, US Capitol attack.
He was released on Oct. 29 from a low-security facility in Danbury, Connecticut, after serving a four-month sentence. He has called himself a “political prisoner” and resumed hosting his “War Room” podcast, known for its fierce criticism of Trump’s opponents.

Topics: Steve Bannon Donald Trump Manhattan Criminal Court

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South Korea opposition says it will vote to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo

South Korea opposition says it will vote to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo
Updated 8 sec ago
Reuters
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South Korea opposition says it will vote to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo

South Korea opposition says it will vote to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo
  • Democratic Party had threatened to impeach Han if he does not immediately appoint three justices to fill the vacancies at the Constitutional Court
  • The court is trying the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law
Updated 8 sec ago
Reuters
SEOUL: South Korea’s main opposition party said it will introduce a bill to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo on Thursday and hold a vote on Friday, a move that could deepen the country’s constitutional crisis triggered by a short-lived martial law.
The opposition Democratic Party had threatened to impeach Han if he does not immediately appoint three justices to fill the vacancies at the Constitutional Court. Parliament voted in favor of three nominees on Thursday, but they have yet to be formally appointed by Han.
The court is trying the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law.
“It has become clear that Prime Minister and acting President Han Duck-soo does not have the qualification or the will to safeguard the Constitution,” Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae said in a statement.
If Han is impeached, the finance minister will assume the acting presidency. The Democratic Party has majority control of parliament, but there is disagreement between the parties and some constitutional scholars over whether a simple majority or a two-thirds vote is needed to impeach the acting president.
Han said earlier on Thursday that he will not appoint the justices until political parties reach agreement on the appointments, because for him to do so without political consensus will harm constitutional order.
Two of the proposed appointees for the Constitutional Court up for the vote on Thursday were nominated by the Democratic Party and one by Han’s ruling People Power Party. The ruling party objected to the breakdown, saying it had not agreed to it.
Han has been under pressure to make the appointments, but political parties have disagreed on whether he has the authority to do so as acting president.
The court is set to hold its first hearing on Friday in the trial to decide whether to remove Yoon or reinstate him.
Under the constitution, six justices must agree to remove an impeached president, meaning the current justices must vote unanimously to remove Yoon. The court has said it can deliberate without the full bench.
Yoon, who was impeached by parliament on Dec. 14 in a vote joined by some members of his center-right party, has not submitted legal papers as requested by the court as of Thursday, court spokesperson Lee Jean told a media briefing.
On Wednesday, he did not respond to the latest summons for questioning in a separate criminal investigation.
Yoon’s repeated defiance has sparked criticism and calls from the opposition for his arrest.

Azerbaijan mourns 38 killed in plane crash in Kazakhstan

Azerbaijan mourns 38 killed in plane crash in Kazakhstan
Updated 47 min 32 sec ago
AFP
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Azerbaijan mourns 38 killed in plane crash in Kazakhstan

Azerbaijan mourns 38 killed in plane crash in Kazakhstan
  • Flight Radar website showed the plane deviating from its normal route, crossing the Caspian Sea and then circling over the area where it eventually crashed near Aktau
Updated 47 min 32 sec ago
AFP

ASTANA: Azerbaijan began a national day of mourning Thursday after a passenger jet from the flag carrier crashed in western Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, killing 38 of the 67 people onboard.
The Embraer 190 aircraft was supposed to fly northwest from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to the city of Grozny in Chechnya in southern Russia, but instead diverted far off course across the Caspian Sea. It crashed Wednesday near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.
Azerbaijan Airlines reported that 67 people were on board the jet — 62 passengers and five crew members.
Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev told Russia’s Interfax news agency that 38 people had been killed, while the Kazakh emergency situations ministry reported “29 survivors, including three children, have been hospitalized.”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared Thursday a day of mourning and canceled a planned visit to Russia for an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a grouping of former Soviet nations.
Aliyev’s office said the president “ordered the prompt initiation of urgent measures to investigate the causes of the disaster.”
“I extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the crash... and wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” Aliyev said in a social media post.
The Flight Radar website showed the plane deviating from its normal route, crossing the Caspian Sea and then circling over the area where it eventually crashed near Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the eastern shore of the sea.
Azerbaijan state news agency AZERTAC reported the aircraft’s black box, which records the flight data, has been recovered.
The Kazakh transport ministry said the plane was carrying 37 nationals from Azerbaijan, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan and 16 from Russia.
Azerbaijan Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, said the plane “made an emergency landing” around three kilometers (1.9 miles) from Aktau.
The Kazakh emergency situations ministry said its staff put out a fire which broke out when the plane crashed.
It said 150 emergency workers were at the scene.
Kazakhstan said it had opened an investigation into the cause of the crash, which was not immediately clear.
Azerbaijan Airlines initially said the plane flew through a flock of birds before withdrawing the statement.
“We cannot disclose any investigation results at this time,” the office of Azerbaijan’s prosecutor general said in a statement.
“All possible scenarios are being examined, and the necessary expert analyzes are underway,” it added.
It said an investigative team led by the deputy prosecutor general of Azerbaijan has been dispatched to Kazakhstan and is working at the crash site.
A Kazakh woman told the local branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) that she was near where the plane crashed and rushed to the site to help survivors.
“They were covered in blood. They were crying. They were calling for help,” said the woman, who gave her name as Elmira.
She said they saved some teenagers.
“I’ll never forget their look, full of pain and despair,” said Elmira. “A girl pleaded: ‘Save my mother, my mother is back there’.”
The health ministry said a special flight was being sent from the Kazakh capital Astana with specialist doctors to treat the injured.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Aliyev and “expressed his condolences in connection with the crash,” his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a news conference.
A Russian emergency situations ministry had been sent to Aktau with medical personnel and other equipment, Putin said later as he opened the CIS leaders’ meeting in Saint Petersburg.
Azerbaijan’s first lady Mehriban Aliyeva, who is also the country’s first vice president, said she was “deeply saddened by the news of the tragic loss of lives in the plane crash near Aktau.”
“I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. Wishing them strength and patience! I also wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” she said on Instagram.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Telegram: “I express my condolences to the relatives of the passengers of the Azerbaijan Airlines jet who died.”

Topics: aviation Azerbaijan

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Kashmir’s ‘bee queen’ sets out to empower women, inspire youth

Kashmir’s ‘bee queen’ sets out to empower women, inspire youth
Updated 58 min 21 sec ago
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Kashmir’s ‘bee queen’ sets out to empower women, inspire youth

Kashmir’s ‘bee queen’ sets out to empower women, inspire youth
  • Sania Zehra manages about 600 bee colonies, sells products across India
  • She created an empowerment group to help aspiring women entrepreneurs
Updated 58 min 21 sec ago
Sanjay Kumar

NEW DELHI: For the past four years, beekeeping has become central to Sania Zehra’s life. Every morning, she wakes at about 6 a.m. to tend to her colonies, before spending the rest of the day building the enterprise that turned her into the “bee queen” of Kashmir. 

Her beekeeping journey began as a 16-year-old, watching her father hard at work at the family farm in Balhama in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

“I first saw my grandfather working with the bees, and then I saw my father doing the same business. When I saw my father working hard, I decided to also contribute and support him,” Zehra told Arab News. 

She overcame her initial fear of bee stings and got to work immediately, applying for a government scheme that allowed her to expand the business. 

It was not always smooth sailing — she struggled to make a profit in the first couple of years and had to juggle maintaining the hectic routine of beekeeping and selling her products. 

But as her hard work of managing hundreds of colonies garnered her the “bee queen” title, today her products are being sold across the country.

“I am selling my product across India (and) I am getting orders from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Dubai, South Africa, Qatar and all,” Zehra said. 

Beekeeping is a multi-pronged passion for the 20-year-old, who sees it as a way to protect the environment and preserve her family legacy. 

She joins an increasing number of women in Kashmir who are running their own businesses, many of whom access government programs aimed at training and supporting women entrepreneurs. 

Despite the social barriers that persist to this day, Zehra found support from her family, especially her mother. 

“My mother supports me wholeheartedly. She says ‘I have sons but you have gone ahead of the boys and there is nothing that can stop a woman if she wants to,’” she said. 

“For me, it’s a passion as well as a desire to carry the family legacy … I have been fascinated by bees’ social structure and the importance of bees in our ecosystem. I want to contribute to their conversation and produce natural honey and connect with nature. They are an inspiration for me.” 

As time went by, she found that beekeeping was not only therapeutic for her mental health but also a way to support the entrepreneurial landscape in Kashmir. 

To fuel that mission, Zehra created an empowerment group whose members comprise talented women who lack access to resources. 

“My main focus is that I should act as a catalyst for many and help others to grow too,” she said. 

With 40 members so far, Zehra is aiming to take it to 100 and help them gain access to the government initiatives that once helped her. 

“I want to give employment to all,” Zehra said. “I have a future plan to address the unemployment issue in Kashmir and make Kashmir a wonderful place. I want to inspire young people.”

Topics: Kashmir Honey bee

Heat wave leads to warnings of potentially devastating wildfires in southern Australia

Heat wave leads to warnings of potentially devastating wildfires in southern Australia
Updated 26 December 2024
AP
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Heat wave leads to warnings of potentially devastating wildfires in southern Australia

Heat wave leads to warnings of potentially devastating wildfires in southern Australia
  • The largest uncontained fire is located in the Grampians National Park and has burnt through 55,000 hectares so far
  • But there were many residential properties on the fringes of the fire that could come under threat
Updated 26 December 2024
AP

NEWCASTLE, Australia: Communities and firefighters across Australia’s second-most populous state were preparing Thursday for potentially devastating wildfires as a heat wave fanned by erratic winds presented the worst fire conditions in several years.
With temperatures in Victoria state reaching 37 degrees Celsius and with wind changes expected throughout the day, fire chiefs have issued stark warnings to rural communities to delay travel or leave their homes and seek safety at shelters.
Several fires are currently burning out of control across the state and Victoria deputy premier Ben Carroll said the possibility for further fires in the coming days was likely.
“Dangerous fire conditions are forming today and will go right through to Saturday,” he said at a press conference in Melbourne. “New fires can start anywhere and become dangerous very quickly.
The largest uncontained fire is located in the Grampians National Park and has burnt through 55,000 hectares so far, but no homes have reported to have been lost.
However, Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent said there were many residential properties on the fringes of the fire that could come under threat.
“I wouldn’t be surprised at some point if we do have residential losses,” Nugent said. “Firefighters, I can say, are doing everything possible to protect life and protect property.”
An emergency warning was issued by fire authorities for the small town of Mafeking, 260 kilometers (160 miles) west of Melbourne, on Thursday.
Residents there were told “you are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately, as it is too late to leave.”
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported around 100 personnel from other Australian states are now in Victoria to assist local firefighters battling the blazes. Firefighters are being assisted by scores of water-bombing aircraft.
Parts of neighboring South Australia and New South Wales states are also on high alert due to the heat wave and elevated fire risks.
The hot, dry conditions are being compared to the Black Summer fires that gripped Australia’s two most populous states for months in 2019-20 and burned through 104 thousand square kilometers, an area roughly the size of Ohio, and destroyed thousands of homes and killed 33 people.

Topics: wildfire Australia

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New York taxi jumps sidewalk outside Macy’s on Christmas Day, injuring 7

New York taxi jumps sidewalk outside Macy’s on Christmas Day, injuring 7
Updated 26 December 2024
Reuters
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New York taxi jumps sidewalk outside Macy’s on Christmas Day, injuring 7

New York taxi jumps sidewalk outside Macy’s on Christmas Day, injuring 7
  • Cab driver suffered a medical episode, police said on Wednesday
  • The store is a magnet for tourists and native New Yorkers around the holidays
Updated 26 December 2024
Reuters
Seven people were injured in New York City on Christmas Day when a taxi jumped a sidewalk and hit pedestrians outside a Macy’s department store after the cab driver suffered a medical episode, police said on Wednesday.
The incident took place in Midtown Manhattan near Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square near the corner of West 34th Street and Avenue of the Americas, or Sixth Avenue. The store, with its elaborately decorated display windows, is a magnet for tourists and native New Yorkers around the holidays.
In addition to the 58-year-old taxi driver, the injured included a 9-year-old boy, two women aged 49 and three other women aged 19, 37 and 41, police added.
One 49-year-old woman with a leg injury, the 9-year-old boy who suffered a cut and the 41-year-old woman who sustained an injury to her head were taken to hospital, police said.
The remaining three pedestrians declined medical attention, according to police, which added that all the injuries were non-life-threatening.
Media images of the cab showed a heavily damaged vehicle with broken parts and dents all over it.
NBC New York cited law enforcement sources as saying that the boy and his mother who were wounded were visiting New York City from Australia. The report added that no charges had been filed and a probe into the crash was ongoing.

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