WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives votes on Tuesday on a resolution to terminate President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to build a wall on the border with Mexico. House Democrats introduced the resolution last week, challenging Trump’s assertion that he could use money to build the wall that Congress had appropriated for other purposes.
The resolution is expected to sail easily through the Democrat-controlled House. Action then moves to the Republican-majority Senate, where the measure’s future is uncertain even though it only requires a simple majority to pass.
Besides being another chapter in a long-running fight between Trump and Democrats over border security and immigration policy, Tuesday’s vote will be a test of constitutional separation of powers, as it is the House and Senate that primarily dictate spending priorities, not the president.
The No. 2 House Democrat, Representative Steny Hoyer, said at a press conference on Monday that he had traveled to the US-Mexico border twice in the past few weeks.
“What I concluded is there is no crisis at the border. The issue ... will be whether there is a crisis of our constitutional adherence,” Hoyer said.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis, in an op-ed published in Tuesday’s Washington Post, said he backed Trump on border security issues but would vote for the resolution because he “cannot justify providing the executive with more ways to bypass Congress.”
At least two other Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, have told the media they are likely to vote for the measure. For the resolution to pass the Senate, at least one more Republican vote would be needed, assuming all Democrats and two independents back it.
Trump, who declared the national emergency this month after Congress declined his request for $5.7 billion to help build a border wall, vowed last week to veto the measure if it passes both chambers.
Congress would then have to muster the two-thirds majority necessary — a high hurdle — to override the president’s veto for the measure to take effect.
A bipartisan group of 58 former national security officials issued a statement Monday saying there was no “factual basis” for Trump’s emergency declaration.
Lawmakers must not allow “any president (to) on a whim declare emergencies, simply because he or she can’t get their way in the Congress,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer declared Monday.
Schumer warned that Trump’s emergency declaration “could cannibalize funding from worthy projects all over the country,” noting that the administration had not even decided yet what projects to take the funds from.
Some 226 House lawmakers are co-sponsoring the bill, including all but a handful of Democrats as well as one Republican, Justin Amash.
The issue is also in the courts. A coalition of 16 US states led by California has sued Trump and top members of his administration to block his emergency declaration.
Congress this month appropriated $1.37 billion for building border barriers following a battle with Trump, which included a 35-day partial government shutdown — the longest in US history — when agency funding lapsed on Dec. 22.
US House set to vote to end Trump’s border wall ‘emergency’
US House set to vote to end Trump’s border wall ‘emergency’
- Bipartisan group of 58 former national security officials issued statement saying there's no “factual basis” for Trump’s emergency declaration
- The resolution is expected to sail easily through the Democrat-controlled House
More than 150,000 people displaced as Malaysia faces worst floods in a decade
- Malaysia’s met department maintains red alert warning for continuous heavy rain
- Authorities set up more than 600 relief centers using 82,000 personnel
KUALA LUMPUR: More than 150,000 people were sheltering in evacuation centers throughout Malaysia on Sunday after flooding forced them out of their homes as the Southeast Asian country faced its worst floods in a decade.
Torrential rain in the past week inundated areas on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, with at least three people dead in the worst-hit northeastern state of Kelantan and neighboring Terengganu, according to data from the National Disaster Management Agency.
The government has set up at least 686 relief centers and used more than 82,000 officers in rescue and relief efforts, as the number of people affected grew from about 37,000 people on Thursday.
“Areas where the locals typically encounter waters that are a foot, maybe two-feet deep, now have chest-deep waters. They were not prepared for this,” Mohd Zulkifli Osman, chief of the fire and rescue department in Kelantan district of Tanah Merah, told Arab News in a phone interview.
Osman said the situation was worse than during the 2014 floods, when more than 118,000 people were displaced.
“Overall though, it’s worse,” he said. “(There are) areas that typically do not get affected by flooding, but this time it is badly hit.”
Videos posted on social media platforms showed overflowing rivers, submerged cars and houses.
But compared with 10 years ago, disaster management officials are more prepared to handle the floods, Osman said.
“Back in 2014, there were shortages of boats and even life jackets. At the time we had not encountered such flooding. But since then, they’re much better prepared and that is why the situation is so much better handled despite the flooding itself being much worse.”
Although weather authorities are expecting a possible ease in rainfall during the night, Malaysia’s Meteorological Department on Sunday afternoon maintained its red alert warning for continuous heavy downpours — indicating dangerous levels of rainfall.
Floods are common in Malaysia during the annual monsoon season from October to March, with thousands of people displaced each year.
In 2021, floods displaced more than 71,000 people across the country and killed at least 54 people.
Philippines plans to create jobs through new energy cooperation with UAE
- Philippines, UAE signed MoU on energy cooperation during Marcos’s Abu Dhabi visit
- Manila hopes to increase renewable sources to its energy mix to 50% by 2040
MANILA: The Philippines aims to create jobs and improve local expertise through a new energy partnership with the UAE, Manila’s energy secretary said on Sunday as he announced the signing of a preliminary agreement between the two countries.
The Philippines and the UAE agreed to strengthen ties during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first visit to the Gulf state on Tuesday, with the two countries signing new agreements in various areas, including investment, culture, artificial intelligence and digital economy.
Energy transition was one of the key agreements signed during that trip, Philippines Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said in a statement.
“At its core this partnership reflects the mutual recognition that energy lies at the heart of development,” Lotilla said.
The cooperation will combine the UAE’s leadership in innovative energy solutions with the Philippines’ ambitious drive for energy security and sustainability, he added.
“By attracting investments in energy infrastructure, the partnership will generate new jobs, enhance local expertise through technology transfer and capacity building, and support the development of a robust energy ecosystem.”
Under the new agreement, the Philippines and the UAE plan to collaborate in areas such as renewable energy, nuclear energy and emerging technologies.
“To operationalize this MoU (memorandum of understanding), an implementation agreement with a UAE state-owned company is expected by January next year,” Lotilla said, but provided no specific details.
In earlier discussions with his Emirati counterpart, Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al-Mazrouei, Lotilla said they agreed to foster business partnerships between their two countries and to position the Philippines as a “prime destination for Emirati investments in critical energy sectors,” which includes developing new energy infrastructure and renewable energy projects.
Manila has been exploring clean and sustainable options to generate power because the country regularly suffers outages and faces high tariffs. Coal is the main source of electricity in the Southeast Asian state, accounting for more than half of its power generation.
Under the Philippine Energy Plan, the government aims to increase the share of renewable sources in the energy mix from 22 percent currently to 50 percent by 2040.
Putin signs off record Russian defense spending
- Around 32.5% of the budget has been allocated for national defense
- Lawmakers had already approved the plans in the past 10 days
KYIV: Russian President Vladimir Putin approved budget plans, raising 2025 military spending to record levels as Moscow seeks to prevail in the war in Ukraine.
Around 32.5 percent of the budget posted on a government website Sunday has been allocated for national defense, amounting to 13.5 trillion rubles (over $145 billion), up from a reported 28.3 percent this year.
Lawmakers in both houses of the Russian parliament, the State Duma and Federation Council had already approved the plans in the past 10 days.
Russia’s war on Ukraine, which started in Feb. 2022, is Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II and has drained the resources of both sides.
Kyiv has been getting billions of dollars in help from its Western allies, but Russia’s forces are bigger and better equipped, and in recent months the Russian army has gradually been pushing Ukrainian troops backward in eastern areas.
On the ground in Ukraine, three people died in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson when a Russian drone struck a minibus on Sunday morning, Kherson regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said. Seven others were wounded in the attack.
Meanwhile, the number of wounded in Saturday’s missile strike in Dnipro in central Ukraine rose to 24, with seven in serious condition, Dnipropetrovsk regional Gov. Serhiy Lysak said. Four people were killed in the attack.
Moscow sent 78 drones into Ukraine overnight into Sunday, Ukrainian officials said. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, 32 drones were destroyed during the overnight attacks. A further 45 drones were “lost” over various areas, likely having been electronically jammed.
In Russia, a child was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Bryansk region bordering Ukraine, according to regional Gov. Alexander Bogomaz.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that 29 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight into Sunday in four regions of western Russia: 20 over the Bryansk region, seven over the Kaluga region, and one each over the Smolensk and Kursk regions.
Thailand protests Myanmar’s navy firing at Thai fishing boats
- Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra questioned claims that the fishing boats had intruded into Myanmar’s territorial waters
- Thailand seeking more details on the incident and a quick release of four Thai nationals who were among the 31 fishermen detained
BANGKOK: Thailand protested an incident involving Myanmar’s navy firing on Thai fishing vessels, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said on Sunday, after one fisherman drowned, two were injured and dozens were detained from one of the boats.
Shinawatra questioned claims that the fishing boats had intruded into Myanmar’s territorial waters when Myanmar’s navy opened fire on the vessels on Saturday.
The Thai defense ministry earlier said two of 15 Thai fishing vessels were fired on when they were 4-5.7 nautical miles (7.4-10.6 km) inside Myanmar’s territorial waters near the southern Thai province of Ranong.
“It is inconclusive,” Shinawatra said, when asked by reporters whether Thai fishing boats encroached on Myanmar’s territorial waters.
“We don’t support violence whatever the circumstances,” she said, adding that Thailand was seeking more details on the incident and a quick release of four Thai nationals who were among the 31 fishermen detained.
Myanmar’s ruling junta did not immediately respond to a telephone request for comment.
Thai Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said a letter protesting the use of force was sent to Myanmar through a local border mechanism, demanding clear details about what happened and a quick return of the Thai boat and crew detained.
Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa also issued a letter of concern over the incident to the Myanmar government and summoned the Myanmar ambassador for a meeting on Monday, seeking clarification about what happened and a quick release of the four Thai nationals.
Myanmar has been in crisis since 2021 when the military seized power, toppling an elected government and sparking an armed rebellion by crushing protests with lethal force.
Pakistan national airline hopes to resume Europe flights soon after regulator lifts ban
- The European Union Aviation Safety Agency suspended PIA’s authorization to operate in the EU in June 2020
- Once PIA gets approval for UK flights, London, Manchester, and Birmingham would be the most sought-after destinations
KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said on Sunday it expects to resume European routes soon and is eyeing several UK destinations after the EU aviation regulator lifted its bar on the flag carrier.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) suspended PIA’s authorization to operate in the EU in June 2020 over concerns about the ability of Pakistani authorities and its Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) to ensure compliance with international aviation standards.
“PIA plans to approach the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) for UK route resumption, as EASA clearance is a prerequisite for their decision,” PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez Khan told Reuters.
EASA and UK authorities suspended permission for PIA to operate in the region after Pakistan began investigating the validity of pilots’ licenses following a deadly plane crash that killed 97 people.
Khan said the airline expects to resume flights to Europe, starting with Paris, within the next three to four weeks.
Once PIA gets approval for UK flights, Khan said London, Manchester, and Birmingham would be the most sought-after destinations.
PIA and the government, which is aiming to sell a 60 percent stake in the carrier, had urged EASA to lift the ban, even provisionally. The ban cost the airline 40 billion rupees ($144 million) annually in revenue.
Khan said the company has sufficient cash flow to add new routes. Decisions on leasing new aircraft will be made after the government finalizes privatization discussions, he said.
The loss-making national carrier has a 23 percent stake in Pakistan’s domestic aviation market, but its 34-plane fleet can’t compete with Middle Eastern carriers which hold a 60 percent market share, due to a lack of direct flights, despite having agreements with 87 countries and key landing slots.
The government’s attempt to privatize the airline fell flat when it received only a single offer, well below its asking price.
“With Europe now, and upcoming UK routes, we anticipate increased revenue potential and hence a rise in PIA’s value during the privatization process,” Khan said.
