LONDON: Britain’s foreign minister David Lammy said he had spoken to his Israeli and Iranian counterparts in separate calls on Sunday seeking to avoid escalation into a “catastrophic” regional war after Israel struck Iranian military sites.
“Today I held important calls with Israeli FM (Israel Katz) and Iranian FM (Abbas Araghchi). The UK continues to press for de-escalation and an end to the conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza,” Lammy said in a statement after a Israeli air attack early on Saturday against Iranian targets.
“A regional war would be catastrophic and is in no one’s interests,” he said.
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Britain foreign minister seeks to avoid ‘catastrophic’ escalation in calls with Israel and Iran
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Britain foreign minister seeks to avoid ‘catastrophic’ escalation in calls with Israel and Iran
Georgian president won’t recognize parliamentary election result and calls public protests
- “This election cannot be recognized, because it is the recognition of Russia’s intrusion here, Georgia’s subordination to Russia,” Zourabichvili said
TBILISI, Georgia: Georgia’s president said Sunday she did not recognize the results of this weekend’s parliamentary vote, which election officials say was won by the ruling party, adding that the country fell victim to a “Russian special operation” aimed at moving it off a path toward Europe.
Standing alongside opposition leaders, President Salome Zourabichvili urged Georgians to rally Monday night on Tbilisi’s main street to protest what she called a “total falsification, a total stealing of your votes,” raising the prospect of further political turmoil in the South Caucasus nation.
She spoke the day after an election which could decide whether Georgia embraces Europe or falls under the sway of Russia.
“This election cannot be recognized, because it is the recognition of Russia’s intrusion here, Georgia’s subordination to Russia,” Zourabichvili said.
The Central Election Commission said Sunday that the ruling party, Georgian Dream, got 54.8 percent of Saturday’s vote with almost 100 percent of ballots counted.
Georgian Dream has become increasingly authoritarian over the past year, adopting laws similar to those used by Russia to crack down on freedom of speech. Brussels suspended Georgia’s EU membership process indefinitely because of a Russian-style “foreign influence law,” passed in June. Many Georgians viewed Saturday’s vote as a referendum on the opportunity to join the European Union.
The election campaign in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people, which borders Russia, was dominated by foreign policy and marked by a bitter fight for votes and allegations of a smear campaign.
Zourabichvili suggested “Russian elections” were held in the country, and said “technology was used to whitewash counterfeiting. Such a thing has never happened before.”
European electoral observers said the election took place in a “divisive” environment marked by intimidation and instances of vote buying, double voting and physical violence.
During the campaign, Georgian Dream used “anti-Western and hostile rhetoric ... promoted Russian misinformation, manipulations, and conspiracy theories,” said Antonio López-Istúriz White, the head of the European Parliament monitoring delegation.
“Paradoxically, the government further claimed that it was continuing Georgia’s European integration,” he added.
The conduct of the polls, he said, is more evidence that points to the ruling party’s “democratic backsliding.”
President of the European Council Charles Michel said he called on Georgia’s officials to “swiftly, transparently and independently investigate” the electoral irregularities and called on the ruling party to demonstrate its “firm commitment” to the EU.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who is a member of Georgian Dream, on Sunday described his party’s victory as “impressive and obvious,” and said “any attempts to talk about election manipulation ... are doomed to failure.”
Hungary’s Victor Orbán was the first foreign leader to congratulate Georgian Dream and will be the first foreign leader to visit Georgia and meet the prime minister when he visits the capital for a visit Monday and Tuesday.
Georgian electoral observers, who were stationed across the country, also reported multiple violations and said the results do not reflect “the will of the Georgian people.”
In the capital Tbilisi, Tiko Gelashvili, 32, said, “The results that were published are just lies and rigged.”
Initial figures suggested turnout in the vote was the highest since Georgian Dream was first elected in 2012.
The United National Movement opposition party said its headquarters were attacked on Saturday while Georgian media reported two people were hospitalized after being attacked outside polling stations.
“The most important question is whether or not these elections will be recognized by the international community,” said Natia Seskuria, executive director of the Regional Institute for Security Studies in Tbilisi. Georgia’s “economic and political prospects” hinge on the election, she said.
Georgians have a complex relationship with Russia, which ruled it from Moscow until Georgia gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Russia and Georgia fought a short war in 2008, and Moscow still occupies 20 percent of Georgia’s territory.
Despite that, Georgian Dream has adopted Russia-style laws and many Georgians fear the government is distancing the country from the West and into Moscow’s orbit.
The election observers said instances of intimidation and electoral violations were particularly noticeable in rural areas.
Georgian Dream scored its highest share of the vote — polling almost 90 percent — in the Javakheti region of southern Georgia, 135 kilometers (83 miles) west of the capital. In Tbilisi, it got no more than than 44 percent of the vote in any district.
Javakheti is predominantly agricultural and many people are ethnic Armenians who speak Armenian, Russian and limited Georgian. Before the election, the AP traveled to the region where voters suggested they were instructed how to vote by local officials. Several questioned why Georgia needed a relationship with Europe and suggested it would be better off allied with Moscow.
Russian forces thwart attempted cross-border assault from Ukraine, official says
- Russian officials and state media have sought to downplay the significance of Kyiv’s thunderous run in Kursk, but the country’s forces have so far been unable to dislodge Ukrainian troops from the province
KYIV, Ukraine: Russian forces thwarted an attempt at another cross-border incursion by Ukraine into southwestern Russia, a local official reported Sunday, months after Kyiv staged a bold assault on its nuclear-armed enemy that Moscow is still struggling to halt.
An “armed group” sought Sunday to breach the border between Ukraine and Russia’s Bryansk region, its governor, Aleksandr Bogomaz, said but was beaten back. Bogomaz did not clarify whether Ukrainian soldiers carried out the alleged attack, but claimed on Sunday evening that the situation was “stable and under control” by the Russian military.
There was no immediate acknowledgement or response from Ukrainian officials.
The region neighbors Kursk province, where Ukraine launched a surprise push on Aug. 6 that rattled the Kremlin and constituted the largest attack on Russia since World War II. Hundreds of Russian prisoners were blindfolded and ferried away in trucks in the opening moments of the lightning advance, and Ukraine’s battle-hardened units swiftly pressed on across hundreds of square miles (square kilometers) of territory.
Responsibility for previous incursions into Russia’s Belgorod and Bryansk regions has been claimed by two murky groups: the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion.
Russian officials and state media have sought to downplay the significance of Kyiv’s thunderous run in Kursk, but the country’s forces have so far been unable to dislodge Ukrainian troops from the province. Western officials have speculated that Moscow may send troops from North Korea to bolster its effort to do so, stoking the almost three-year war and bringing geopolitical consequences as far away as the Indo-Pacific region.
Russian lawmakers Thursday ratified a pact with Pyongyang envisioning mutual military assistance, a move that comes as the US confirmed the deployment of 3,000 North Korean troops to Russia.
North Korean units were detected Wednesday in Kursk, according to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, known by its acronym GUR. The soldiers had undergone several weeks of training at bases in eastern Russia and had been equipped with clothes for the upcoming winter, GUR said in a statement late Thursday. It did not provide evidence for its claims.
Moscow warns West against approving long-range strikes against Russia
Also on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is working on ways to respond if the US and its NATO allies allow Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia with long-range Western missiles.
Putin told Russian state TV that it was too early to say exactly how Moscow might react, but the defense ministry has been mulling a range of options.
Russia has repeatedly signaled that it would view any such strikes as a major escalation. The Kremlin leader warned on Sept. 12 that Moscow would be “at war” with the US and NATO states if they approve them, claiming military infrastructure and personnel from the bloc would have to be involved in targeting and firing the missiles.
He reinforced the message by announcing a new version of the nuclear doctrine that considers a conventional attack on Russia by a nonnuclear nation that is supported by a nuclear power to be a joint attack on his country — a clear warning to the US and other allies of Kyiv.
Putin also declared the revised document envisages possible nuclear weapons use in case of a massive air attack, opening the door to a potential nuclear response to any aerial assault — an ambiguity intended to deter the West.
Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly said they need permission to strike weapons depots, airfields and military bases far from the border to motivate Russia to seek peace. In response, US defense officials have argued that the missiles are limited in number, and that Ukraine is already using its own long-range drones to hit targets farther into Russia.
That capability was evidenced by a Ukrainian drone strike in mid-September that hit a large Russian military depot in a town 500 kilometers (300 miles) from the border.
The US allows Kyiv to use American-provided weapons in more limited, cross-border strikes to counter attacks by Russian forces.
Civilian deaths reported in Kherson as warring sides trade drone strikes
In a separate update, Bryansk Gov. Bogomaz claimed that over a dozen Ukrainian drones were shot down over the region on Sunday. Separately, a total of at least 16 drones were downed over other Russian regions, including the Tambov province some 450 kilometers (290 miles) north from the border, officials reported. There were no reports of casualties from any of the alleged attacks.
In Ukraine’s southern city of Kherson, Russian shelling killed three civilians on Sunday, local Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin claimed. Another Kherson resident died in a blaze sparked by shells hitting a high-rise, according to Ukraine’s Emergency Service.
Air raid sirens wailed for over three hours in Kyiv overnight into Sunday, and city authorities later reported that “around 10” drones had been shot down. They said no one had been hurt. Ukraine’s air force on Sunday reported that it had shot down 41 drones launched by Russia across Ukrainian territory.
UK minister criticizes Israel’s proposed legislation against UNRWA efforts
- Hamish Falconer highlighted the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, calling Israel’s potential decision “neither in Israel’s interest nor realistic”
LONDON: The UK’s Middle East minister has warned that Israel’s status as a democracy would be “deeply harmed” if the Knesset proceeded with a bill to cut all cooperation with the UN Relief and Works Agency, it was reported on Sunday.
Speaking at a London conference hosted by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Hamish Falconer highlighted the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, calling Israel’s potential decision “neither in Israel’s interest nor realistic.”
Falconer’s statements mark the strongest criticism from a Western official regarding the potential legislation, which is anticipated to reach a vote in the Knesset this week unless Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intervenes.
The UK, along with six other European foreign ministries, have jointly urged Israel to drop the bill, emphasizing in a statement: “It is crucial that UNRWA and other UN organizations be fully able to deliver humanitarian aid and their assistance to those who need it most, fulfilling their mandates effectively.”
Falconer’s concern extended to the restrictions on aid entering Gaza, and he stressed the impact on civilian lives amid Israeli military operations, The Guardian reported.
“We are deeply concerned by legislation currently under consideration by the Israeli Knesset which would critically undermine UNRWA,” he said.
“Given the agency’s vital role in delivering aid and essential services at a time when more aid should be getting into Gaza, it is deeply harmful to Israel’s international reputation as a democratic country that its lawmakers are taking steps that would make the delivery of food, water, medicines, and healthcare more difficult.”
The UK minister, who recently visited the Egypt-Gaza border, described harrowing scenes, including “thousands of trucks waiting to cross … warehouses full of life-saving items — medical equipment, sleeping bags, and tarpaulin for the winter.”
He also noted that the level of aid “getting in is far too low,” with humanitarian convoys facing repeated attacks and significant blockages.
Falconer also raised concerns about Israel’s military approach in Gaza, calling for a balance between pursuing Hamas and protecting civilians.
“Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization, it hides behind Gazan civilians, but all parties must do everything possible to protect civilians and fully respect international humanitarian law,” he told the conference. “The Israeli government must take all necessary precautions to avoid civilian casualties, to ensure aid can flow into Gaza, and freely through all humanitarian land routes.”
Amid escalating tensions, Falconer advised “calmer heads to prevail,” while former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, addressing the conference via video link, emphasized that “Hamas cannot be allowed to continue to govern Gaza.”
Blair advocated for the establishment of a new governance structure, adding: “Israel will need to pull back to allow the development of a different governance structure for Gaza that would then enable reconstruction to take place.”
Polls commissioned by the Tony Blair Institute, he shared, indicate that many residents favor international oversight and ties to the Palestinian Authority, with strong support for reform of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
India warns social media after airline bomb threats
- Some threats led to planes being diverted to Canada and Germany, and fighter jets scrambled to escort aircraft above Britain and Singapore
- The India government called the spread of the threats ‘dangerously unrestrained’ and warned social media platforms of ‘consequential action’
NEW DELHI: India has warned social media platforms of “consequential action” after hundreds of hoax bomb threats to Indian airlines this month triggered travel chaos and terror it said threatened national security.
Some threats led to planes being diverted to Canada and Germany, and fighter jets scrambled to escort aircraft in the skies above Britain and Singapore.
The government called the spread of the threats “dangerously unrestrained.”
It warned social media platforms of “consequential action as provided under any law” if they do not comply with the “prompt removal of misinformation.”
“The instances of malicious acts, in the form of hoax bomb threats to such airlines, lead to a potential threat to the public order and security of the state,” it said in a statement on Saturday.
“Such hoax bomb threats, while affecting a large number of citizens, also destabilizes the economic security of the country.”
At least 275 bomb threats were made since mid-October, all reported to have been false, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency. Other Indian media suggest it could be as high as nearly 400.
“The exemption from liability for any third party information... shall not apply if such intermediaries do not follow the due diligence obligations,” it added.
Civil aviation authorities have had to check every flight that has been threatened, many by messages posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The government warning did not mention any social media company by name, but cited an advisory notice from the information technology ministry.
“The scale of (the) spread of such hoax bomb threats has been observed to be dangerously unrestrained due to the availability of the option of ‘forwarding/re-sharing/re-posting/re-tweeting’ on the social media platforms,” the information ministry said.
It said companies must report any offenses “likely to threaten the unity, integrity, sovereignty, security or economic security” of the country, and cooperate swiftly with government agencies to aid investigations.
The government on Monday said it is discussing “legislative action” to overhaul aviation and aircraft security laws, and to make those who make such threats guilty of a serious, or “cognizable,” crime with longer potential sentences.
India, the world’s biggest democracy, regularly ranks among the top five countries globally for the number of requests made by a government to remove social media content.
Last year, an Indian court hit X with a $61,000 fine after the platform unsuccessfully challenged orders to remove tweets and accounts critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Japan ruling party projected to miss majority in election
- Voters in Japan have been rankled by rising prices and the fallout from a party slush fund scandal that helped sink previous premier Fumio Kishida
TOKYO: Japan’s scandal-hit ruling party fell short of a majority for the first time since 2009 in snap elections on Sunday, media projections showed, in a blow to new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Worse still, it was touch and go whether Ishiba’s conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) could secure a parliamentary majority with its long-term coalition partner, the Komeito party.
“We are receiving severe judgment,” Ishiba told national broadcaster NHK late Sunday.
Voters “expressed their strong desire for the LDP to do some reflection and become a party that will act in line with the people’s will,” he said.
Former defense minister Ishiba, 67, called the election after being narrowly selected last month to lead the LDP, which has governed Japan for almost all of the past 70 years.
But voters in the world’s fourth-largest economy have been rankled by rising prices and the fallout from a party slush fund scandal that helped sink previous premier Fumio Kishida.
Footage from the LDP headquarters after the polls closed on Sunday showed gloomy faces as the projections based on exit polls said Ishiba’s justice and agriculture ministers were likely to lose their seats.
Ishiba, a self-confessed security policy geek who likes making model planes, had said his target in the election was for the coalition to win a majority.
Missing this goal would seriously undermine his position in the LDP and mean finding other coalition partners or leading a minority government.
“If we are unable to obtain a majority as a result of severe public judgment, we will ask as many people as possible to cooperate with us,” the LDP’s election chief Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters.
In Japan’s last general election in 2021, the LDP won a majority in its own right, with 259 seats in parliament’s powerful lower house. Komeito had 32.
On Sunday, national broadcaster NHK projected that the LDP would win between 153 and 219 seats — short of the 233 needed for a majority in the 465-seat parliament.
If confirmed by official results, the LDP losing its majority would be the worst result since it lost power 15 years ago before being brought back in a 2012 landslide by late former premier Shinzo Abe.
Together with Komeito, which is projected 21 to 35 seats, the coalition would hold between 174 and 254 seats, according to NHK.
Projections from the Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri dailies suggested the coalition would lose its majority. The Asahi projected the LDP would win 185 seats and that the coalition would manage only 210.
Opinion polls before the election had suggested that in many districts, LDP candidates were neck-and-neck with those from the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), the second-biggest in parliament, led by popular former prime minister Yoshihiko Noda.
Projections on Sunday suggested that the CDP had made considerable gains, with NHK indicating it could win between 128 and 191 seats — up from 96.
“The LDP’s politics is all about quickly implementing policies for those who give them loads of cash,” 67-year-old Noda told his supporters on Saturday.
Noda said on Sunday night he would hold “sincere talks with various parties.”
“Our basic philosophy is that the LDP-Komeito administration cannot continue,” Noda told Fuji-TV.
Ishiba has pledged to revitalize depressed rural regions and to address the “quiet emergency” of Japan’s falling population through family-friendly measures such as flexible working hours.
But he has rowed back his position on issues including allowing married couples to take separate surnames. He also named only two women as ministers in his cabinet.
He has backed the creation of a regional military alliance along the lines of NATO to counter China, although he has cautioned it would “not happen overnight.”
Noda’s stance “is sort of similar to the LDP’s. He is basically a conservative,” Masato Kamikubo, a political scientist at Ritsumeikan University, told AFP before the election.
“The CDP or Noda can be an alternative to the LDP. Many voters think so.”
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