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In Photos: IAF Bids Adieu To The MiG-21
US Justice Department Seeks Swift Charges Against Ex-NSA Bolton, Sources Say
Senior U.S. Justice Department officials are pressing for rapid charges against President Donald Trump‘s former national security adviser (NSA) John Bolton, despite prosecutors’ reservations about the need for further investigation, two sources said.
The move comes a week after the administration pushed out the top federal prosecutor in Virginia, angry that the department was not moving faster to prosecute Trump critics, including Bolton and former FBI Director James Comey, and represents an escalation in Trump’s efforts to use the power of the Justice Department to seek retribution.
Prosecutors in the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s office, which is leading the Bolton probe, and attorneys from the department’s National Security Division are pushing back against pressure from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s office, said the people, granted anonymity to discuss internal department dynamics.
The prosecutors have been asked to try to present the case to a grand jury as soon as next week, one of the people said.
Looking For Espionage Act Violations
The FBI searched Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington office in August seeking evidence of possible violations of the Espionage Act, according to a partially unsealed search warrant filed in federal court.
Agents found records in Bolton’s office labelled “confidential,” including documents that referenced weapons of mass destruction, the U.S. mission to the United Nations and other materials related to the U.S. government’s strategic communications, unsealed court records show.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Bolton spokeswoman also declined comment, referring Reuters to a Wednesday statement by Bolton’s attorney Abbe Lowell saying Bolton had done nothing wrong.
“These are the kinds of ordinary records, many of which are 20 years old or more, that would be kept by a 40-year career official who served at the State Department, as an Assistant Attorney General, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and the National Security Advisor,” Lowell said.
“Specifically, the documents with dated classification markings from the period 1998 – 2006 date back to Amb. Bolton’s time in the George W. Bush Administration.”
The Justice Department during Trump’s first term sued Bolton and started a criminal investigation into him over allegations his 2020 book, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” contained classified information. The book painted a scathing picture of Trump’s first administration.
A judge rejected the administration’s bid to block publication of the book in 2020. Both the criminal investigation and lawsuit were dropped in 2021 during the Biden administration.
Bolton denied the allegations and accused White House officials of acting improperly to block a critical account.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Trump Claims South Korea, Japan To Pay Billions ‘Upfront’ For Investment
U.S. President Donald Trump insisted South Korea would deliver billions in investments “upfront,” despite Seoul warning it could face a financial crisis without protective measures.
In July, South Korea pledged $350 billion toward U.S. projects, but has baulked at U.S. demands for control over the funds, and South Korean officials say talks to formalise their trade deal are at a deadlock.
Earlier this month, Trump formalised a trade deal with Japan, lowering tariffs on Japanese automobile imports and other products in return for $550 billion of Japanese investment in U.S. projects, and U.S. officials have pressed Seoul to follow suit.
“We have in Japan it’s $550 billion, South Korea’s $350 billion. That’s upfront,” Trump told reporters on Thursday in the Oval Office as he touted the amount of money he said his sweeping tariffs have brought in.
Seoul Seeks Investment Safeguards
South Korea, however, says it cannot afford to structure its investments in the same way as Japan, and President Lee Jae Myung told Reuters last week that without safeguards such as a currency swap, South Korea’s economy could be plunged into crisis.
One South Korean government official said they had no comment on Trump’s remarks, but reiterated that its stance remained that it would negotiate with the U.S. under the principle that the deal should meet national interests and is commercially feasible.
A senior finance ministry official travelling with Lee in the United States declined to comment when asked about the “upfront” comment.
Trump’s comments came as his trade talks with South Korea have become increasingly dogged by political doubts, spooking investors who now worry Seoul may end up with a raw deal or perhaps no deal at all.
Analysts say a currency swap is unlikely, and South Korean negotiators are pushing for most of the funds to be in the form of loans, rather than direct investment. They are also pressing Washington for mechanisms to ensure that the projects are commercially viable.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Madagascar Imposes Night Curfew In Capital Following Violent Protests
Authorities in Madagascar announced a night-time curfew in the capital, Antananarivo, on Thursday after demonstrations over recurring power cuts and water shortages escalated into violence, a senior security official said.
Police fired teargas to disperse the thousands of mostly youth protesters who were marching and carrying placards in the capital, according to a witness.
The demonstrators were denouncing the government and demanding restoration of reliable water and electricity across the country.
“There are unfortunately individuals taking advantage of the situation to destroy other people’s property,” General Angelo Ravelonarivo, who heads a joint security body that includes the police and the military, said in a statement he read on privately owned Real TV late on Thursday.
To protect “the population and their belongings,” the security forces decided to impose a curfew from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. “until public order is restored,” the statement said.
Madagascar, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, is mired in poverty, and some people blame the government of President Andry Rajoelina, who was re-elected in 2023, for not improving conditions.
Violent Protests
During the protests earlier on Thursday, a large shopping mall in the capital was looted and then burned, and the homes of two lawmakers were looted and vandalised, according to the witness.
The protesters, who defied an earlier police ban on the demonstration, marched while chanting, “We need water, we need electricity.”
The unrest peaked when protestors looted and set fire to a large shopping mall, and vandalized the homes of two lawmakers. Security forces deployed tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
After the protests were dispersed, they later spread into various neighbourhoods of the capital.
A security forces spokesperson, Zafisambatra Ravoavy, could not be reached for comment.
On Wednesday, the national police chief, Jean Herbert Andriantahiana Rakotomalala, warned that security forces would “take firm preventive…measures against those tempted to break the law.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
South Korea Opens New Trial Of Yoon Over Failed Martial Law Bid
South Korea’s ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in court on Friday for a new trial on obstruction charges, following weeks of boycotting a separate trial over allegations of masterminding an insurrection through a failed martial law attempt.
Yoon, 64, appeared noticeably slimmer and his hair greyer and cropped short, after more than two months out of public view in prison and having refused to attend trial since early July, citing health reasons.
Fresh Charges
The conservative former president faces fresh charges, including obstruction stemming from attempts to block investigators trying to arrest him in January when his powers had been suspended by parliament’s impeachment, and he barricaded himself inside the presidential compound.
The new charges were brought by a special prosecutor who was appointed in June and whose team has widened a probe of Yoon and several former government and military officials.
Yoon, who was removed from office in April by the Constitutional Court, is also being investigated by another special prosecutor who has indicted his wife for corruption.
Yoon has denied all wrongdoing and said it was within his powers as president to declare martial law in December. He has rejected all investigations against him as politically motivated.
The new indictment carries a prison term of more than three years on conviction. Yoon already faces the death sentence or life in prison if found guilty on insurrection charges.
Failed Martial Law Bid
Yoon’s attempted imposition of martial law earlier this year marked a dramatic episode in South Korea’s political landscape.
Following widespread criticism of his administration, Yoon sought to assert control by attempting to declare martial law, a move widely seen as an extraordinary measure to maintain authority amid mounting opposition.
The plan, however, failed to gain traction, as key institutions and public opinion resisted the attempt, highlighting the strength of South Korea’s democratic framework and rule of law.
The failure of the martial law attempt had significant consequences for Yoon personally and politically.
His actions led to legal scrutiny, with Yoon facing allegations of insurrection and obstruction for attempting to circumvent normal legal and constitutional processes.
The episode further eroded public confidence in his leadership and intensified political tensions within the country.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Starmer Focuses On Economic Stability Amid Speculations Over Leadership Challenge
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday he remained focused on “economic stability” after a party mayor claimed he was urged to mount a leadership challenge amid criticism of the government’s record.
Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester in northern England, said Starmer had no clear plans to turn the country around, and lawmakers in Britain’s parliament urged him this summer to stand against the prime minister.
Burnham set out his own vision for Britain this week, including more left-wing policies, such as tax increases on the wealthy and large-scale nationalisations, saying that Britain should not be “in hock” to bond markets.
In his first public response to Burnham’s criticism, Starmer said he would not comment on “the mayor’s personal ambitions” but listed what he said were his government’s main achievements, including millions of extra appointments in the state-run health service.
Starmer emphasised his government’s commitment to self-imposed fiscal rules, limiting the amount Britain will borrow to try to build the confidence of markets, telling ITV Granada, “economic stability is the foundational stone of this government”.
Difficult Phase
Starmer has faced the most difficult weeks of his premiership, little more than a year after winning one of the largest election victories in modern British history. The forced departure of his deputy prime minister and ambassador to the United States this month has led to speculation that he could be replaced.
Burnham, who is widely seen as one of Starmer’s biggest rivals, did not deny in interviews with British media this week that he was interested in the Labour leadership, which he has tried and failed to win on two previous occasions.
But Burnham faces a number of obstacles if he wants to formally challenge Starmer.
Burnham is not currently a member of parliament, a requirement for being prime minister, so he would have to find a parliamentary seat. He would then need to defeat rival parties to do so, a challenge given Labour’s current declining popularity.
Starmer’s party is currently trailing Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK by about 10 points in opinion polls.
Burnham stood unsuccessfully to be Labour leader in 2010 and 2015 when he was defeated by Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Trump Says Israel Will Not Annex West Bank, Rejects Calls From Far Right
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that Washington would block any move by Israel to annex the West Bank. He dismissed demands from far-right Israeli politicians seeking to extend sovereignty over the territory, a step that would further undermine prospects for a Palestinian state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced some pressure from allies to annex the West Bank, prompting alarm among Arab leaders, some of whom met on Tuesday with Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“There’s been enough. It’s time to stop now,” he said.
France, Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal are among the countries that have recognized a Palestinian state in the last few days, in part to help keep the possibility of a two-state solution alive. Israel has condemned the moves.
Trump made the comments as Netanyahu was arriving in New York to deliver an address to the United Nations on Friday.
Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister would wait until he returns to Israel to address Trump’s remark. Israeli settlements have grown in size and number since Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 war. They stretch deep into the territory with a system of roads and other infrastructure under Israeli control, further slicing up the land.
Israeli E1 Project
A widely condemned Israeli settlement plan known as the E1 project, which would bisect the occupied West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, received final approval in August. It will cut across land that the Palestinians seek for a state.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, an ultra-nationalist in the ruling right-wing coalition that keeps Netanyahu in power, said at the time that a Palestinian state is “being erased from the table.”
Arab and Muslim countries warned Trump during a meeting earlier this week about the grave consequences of any annexation of the West Bank — a message the U.S. president “understands very well,” according to Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud.
About 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in a move not recognized by most countries.
Israel refuses to cede control of the West Bank, a position it says has been reinforced since Hamas stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. About 48 hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive, are still being held.
Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law.
Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the area and saying the settlements provide strategic depth and security.
Gaza Deal Talks
While international leaders gather at the United Nations in New York, the U.S. presented a 21-point Middle East peace plan in a bid to end the nearly two-year-long war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
It was shared with leaders and officials from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan on Tuesday, according to U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Trump, who remains Israel’s staunchest ally on the world stage, said that he spoke with representatives from Middle Eastern nations and Netanyahu on Thursday and that a deal on Gaza could happen soon.
“We want the hostages back, we want the bodies back and we want to have peace in that region. So we had some very good talks,” he said.
Israel has drawn global condemnation over its war in Gaza, which is nearing the two-year mark with no ceasefire in sight. The conflict has caused major destruction and killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities.
A global hunger monitor says part of the territory is suffering from famine.
On the ground, Israeli forces advanced deeper into Gaza City on Thursday and Israeli strikes killed at least 19 people across Gaza, local health authorities said.
International efforts are also continuing to send assistance to help civilians as Israel appears increasingly isolated.
Italy and Spain on Thursday deployed naval ships to assist an international aid flotilla that has come under drone attack while trying to deliver aid to Gaza. The Global Sumud Flotilla is using about 50 civilian boats to try to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Moscow Claims NATO And EU Using Ukraine To Wage War On Russia
Speaking at the United Nations on Thursday, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that NATO and the European Union are waging a “real war” against Moscow by backing Ukraine.
Britain dismissed the remarks as a distortion of reality and labeled them “false fantasy world” rhetoric.
Lavrov spoke at a G20 meeting of foreign ministers at the U.N. two days after U.S. President Donald Trump signalled a harsher stance on Moscow, praising Ukraine’s war effort and saying NATO allies should shoot down Russian jets that enter their airspace.
Tensions have mounted along Europe’s eastern flank where Estonia has accused Moscow of sending three fighter jets into its airspace, a week after NATO jets shot down Russian drones in Polish airspace.
“Another clear example is the crisis in Ukraine provoked by the West, through which NATO and the EU have … already declared a real war on my country and are directly involved in it,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov, foreign minister for more than two decades, has made similar remarks in the past, but their echo within the walls of the United Nations building — delivered in front of fellow G20 foreign ministers — underscored the gravity of the moment.
He made no reference to Trump’s comments earlier this week, instead repeating Russia’s position that it was the West’s actions that provoked the war in Ukraine, which began when Moscow’s forces launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
‘False Fantasy World Distortions’
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called out Lavrov as he made to leave when she began her speech and condemned Russia’s “unprovoked war of aggression” against Ukraine.
“No amount of false fantasy world distortions, misinformation and propaganda from the Russian representative about the causes of the war will convince anyone,” she said.
Russian forces occupy around 20% of Ukraine and the fighting rages in the east of the country more than 3-1/2 years since the full-scale invasion.
Europe’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called on world powers to exert international pressure on the Kremlin.
“There are no signs that Russia’s goal of subjugating Ukraine has changed,” she said.
Ukraine and Europe publicly welcomed Trump’s rhetorical U-turn on the war in Ukraine on Tuesday, in which he mocked the Russian military’s slow progress, saying he believed Kyiv could turn the tables on Russia and retake its occupied land.
But some European diplomats have cautioned Trump’s statements may indicate he is moving to leave Europe to carry the burden of supporting Ukraine.
Despite concerted lobbying by Europe and Ukraine, Trump has not imposed heavy new sanctions on Russia. Instead, he has imposed tariffs on products from India for buying Russian oil and discussed the possibility of similar action against China.
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump’s tone remained largely unchanged on Russia. He voiced disappointment with President Vladimir Putin’s actions and said Moscow was doing poorly in the war in Ukraine.
Lavrov held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday. He is due to address the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Taiwan: Rescuers Struggle Through Mud In Search For Missing Following Typhoon Ragasa Devastation
Rescue teams in Taiwan on Friday pushed through heavy mud as they searched for 11 people still unaccounted for, after Super Typhoon Ragasa unleashed a surge of water earlier this week that swept through a small town on the island’s east coast.
The flooding’s death toll held steady at 14.
The heavy rains in Hualien county caused a so-called barrier lake in the mountains to overflow on Tuesday and release a thick sludge of water and mud on the town of Guangfu.
While the flood waters have receded, the dark grey mud continues to blanket large parts of the area, creating problems for residents and rescuers alike.
Rescue workers, sometimes wading in mud up to their waists, have been cutting holes in the roofs of buildings to check for missing people.
A man who gave his family name as Hwang said he was still looking for his elder sister’s body.
“She died in the house because it was completely filled with mud and there was no way to get her out,” he said.
Many of the deaths occurred on the first floors of houses after people, often elderly, were unable to follow government orders to move upstairs and out of the way.
Huang Ju-hsing, 88, has been trapped inside his second-floor home after the flooding blocked access to his family-run grocery store downstairs.
“There was no time to escape. We told him to hurry up and go upstairs,” said his wife Chang Hsueh-mei, who has been able to scramble over the wreckage downstairs and get outside.
“When you’re faced with an emergency, you suddenly find the courage to do anything,” said Chang, 78, after climbing through aisles of fallen objects to reach her husband.
Barrier Lakes
Mountainous, sparsely populated and largely rural, Hualien is one of Taiwan’s top tourist destinations due to its wild beauty.
What to do about the barrier lake, formed by earlier typhoons and which has now shrunk in size to only 12% of what it was before the disaster, remains an unresolved issue.
Barrier lakes are formed when rocks, landslides or other natural blockages make a dam across a river, normally in a valley, blocking and holding back water, hindering or even stopping natural drainage.
The government has ruled out using explosives to break through the bank holding up the water, fearing it could bring more landslides and worsen the situation.
The typhoon has not impacted Taiwan’s crucial semiconductor industry, located on the island’s west coast.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Israeli Military Services Disabled By Microsoft Amid Surveillance Probe
On Thursday, Microsoft announced it has disabled certain services used by an Israeli military unit following early evidence supporting reports of mass surveillance on Palestinian phone calls.
A joint investigation published in August by the Guardian and other media outlets found that an Israeli military agency was making use of Microsoft’s Azure software to store countless recordings of mobile phone calls made by Palestinians living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza.
That prompted an internal review by Microsoft.
“We do not provide technology to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians,” Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a company blog.
The review is ongoing, but details of the Israel Ministry of Defence’s (IMOD) consumption of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and the use of AI services supported the Guardian’s reporting, he said.
‘Cease And Disable’
The decision to “cease and disable” specific IMOD subscriptions, including the use of specific cloud storage and AI services, would not impact Microsoft’s cybersecurity services to Israel and other countries in the Middle East, he added.
A spokesperson for the Israeli ministry told NBC News it had no comment on Thursday’s announcement.
At the time the media investigation was published, Israel’s military told the Guardian its work with firms like Microsoft was based on “legally supervised agreements”. The military later added that Microsoft “is not and has not been working with the (Israeli military) on the storage or processing of data”.
‘Welcome Step’
Pro-Palestinian groups such as the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and a tech industry worker-led campaign group named No Azure for Apartheid welcomed the decision.
“This is a welcome step and a point of vindication for those brave tech workers who stood up and protested,” Imraan Siddiqi, the executive director of CAIR’s Washington state chapter, said. The groups have demanded that Microsoft cut all ties with the Israeli government.
Protests
Microsoft has been among the most prominent of companies that have faced protests over ties to Israel as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from Israel’s military assault has mounted and images of starving Palestinians, including children, have sparked global outrage.
Some recent protests on company premises have led to firings of some employees who took part, including two who joined a sit-in at Smith’s office. Microsoft says the terminations followed breaches of company policies and the on-site demonstrations had created what it called significant safety concerns.
The Guardian’s investigation was conducted with Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call.
Israel’s two-year long assault on Gaza has killed tens of thousands of people and internally displaced Gaza’s entire population. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a U.N. inquiry say it amounts to genocide.
Israel calls its actions self-defense after the October 2023 attack led by Palestinian Hamas militants that killed 1,200 people and in which more than 250 were taken hostage.
(With inputs from Reuters)