Tag: World News

London (TIP)- The British government has watered down plans for mandatory digital identification cards, a contentious idea it had touted as a way to help control immigration.
It’s the latest policy U-turn by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s embattled center-left government, which is under fire from both opposition politicians and governing Labour Party lawmakers.
Officials confirmed Wednesday that it won’t be compulsory for citizens and residents to show a digital ID card in order to get a job, ditching a key plank of the policy announced in September.
“The digital ID could be one way you prove your eligibility to work,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told the BBC, alongside other documents such as biometric passports.
The government said detailed plans for digital ID cards will be “set out following a full public consultation which will launch shortly.”
Starmer announced in September that “you will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID. It’s as simple as that.”
He said the plan would help reduce unauthorized immigration by making it harder for people to work in the underground economy. He said it would also make it simpler for people to access health care, welfare, child care and other public services. He faced an immediate backlash, with polls suggesting support for digital ID plummeted after Starmer backed the idea. Britain has not had compulsory identity cards for ordinary citizens since shortly after World War II, and the idea has long been contentious. Civil rights campaigners argue it infringes personal liberty and puts people’s information at risk.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair tried to introduce biometric ID cards two decades ago as a way of fighting terrorism and fraud, but the plan was abandoned after strong opposition from the public and Parliament.
After the latest policy shift, opposition Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said that “Labour’s only consistent policy is retreat.” Liberal Democrat spokeswoman Lisa Smart said Starmer’s office “must be bulk-ordering motion sickness tablets at this rate to cope with all their U-turns.”

WASHINGTON (TIP)- U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters that Ukraine – not Russia – is holding up a potential peace deal, rhetoric that stands in marked contrast to that of European allies, who have consistently argued Moscow has little interest in ending its war in Ukraine.
In an exclusive interview in the Oval Office, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to wrap up his nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskiy, the U.S. president said, was more reticent.
“I think he’s ready to make a deal,” Trump said of the Russian president. “I think Ukraine is less ready to make a deal.”
Asked why U.S.-led negotiations had not yet resolved Europe’s largest land conflict since World War Two, Trump responded: “Zelenskiy.” Trump’s comments suggested renewed frustration with the Ukrainian leader. The two presidents have long had a volatile relationship, though their interactions seem to have improved over Trump’s first year back in office.
At times, Trump has been more willing to accept Putin’s assurances at face value than the leaders of some U.S. allies, frustrating Kyiv, European capitals and U.S. lawmakers, including some Republicans.
In December, Reuters reported that U.S. intelligence reports continued to warn that Putin had not abandoned his aims of capturing all of Ukraine and reclaiming parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard disputed that report at the time.
After several fits and starts, U.S.-led negotiations have been centered in recent weeks on security guarantees for a post-war Ukraine to ensure that Russia does not invade it again after a potential peace deal. In broad terms, U.S. negotiators have pushed Ukraine to abandon its eastern Donbas region as part of any accord with Russia. Ukrainian officials have been deeply involved in recent talks, which have been led on the U.S. side by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. Some European officials have cast doubt on the likelihood of Putin agreeing to some terms recently hashed out by Kyiv, Washington and European leaders.
Trump told Reuters he was not aware of a potential upcoming trip to Moscow by Witkoff and Kushner, which Bloomberg reported earlier on Wednesday.
Asked if he would meet Zelenskiy at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week, Trump said he would but implied no plans were set.
“I would – if he’s there,” Trump said. “I’m going to be there.”
Asked why he believed Zelenskiy was holding back on negotiations, Trump did not elaborate, saying only: “I just think he’s, you know, having a hard time getting there.” Source: Reuters

Seol (TIP)- South Korea’s impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol will be jailed for five years over abuse of power, obstructing justice and falsifying documents in relation to his failed martial law bid in 2024.
This is the first of the verdicts in four trials linked to his shock martial law decree. Although short-lived, the move triggered nationwide turmoil, sparking protests as MPs rushed to the national assembly to overturn Yoon’s decision.
Yoon’s actions “plunged the country into political crisis”, a judge said on Friday, Jan 16,noting that Yoon had “consistently shown no remorse”.
Friday’s ruling offers clues as to how the rest of Yoon’s trials could go. His string of charges range from abuse of power to campaign law violations.
The most serious charge is insurrection, for which prosecutors have demanded the death penalty. The verdict in that trial is expected in February.
About 100 supporters of Yoon had gathered outside the courthouse on Friday to watch the livestreamed proceedings projected on a large screen.
Some of them held red banners that read: “Yoon, again! Make Korea great again”. Several could be heard yelling at the judge as he delivered the guilty verdicts, while others looked solemn.
On Friday, Jan 16, Yoon was convicted of using presidential bodyguards to prevent his arrest; failing to consult his entire cabinet before declaring martial law; as well as drafting and then destroying a falsified document claiming the martial law bid had been endorsed by the prime minister and defence minister.
“The accused has the duty to safeguard the constitution and law but turned his back on them,” the judge said. Prosecutors had sought a 10-year jail term for the charges in Friday’s ruling. Both sides have seven days to appeal.
Yoon denied the charges, arguing that the arrest warrant itself was invalid and that the letter of the law does not require him to consult every member of the cabinet before exercising emergency power.
He had claimed across his trials that investigators had no legal basis to probe and arrest him in the first place. Most of the accusations against him are invalid because there was no procedural lapse when he declared martial law, he argues.
South Korea’s courts often grant leniency when the accused accepts guilt or responsibility. But prosecutors argue that Yoon’s lack of remorse is grounds for an even more severe penalty.
Park Geun-hye, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for abuse of power and bribery in 2021, was the last former president to be jailed for a criminal charge. But she was pardoned and released from prison shortly after.
Six months after Yoon’s martial law attempt, voters elected opposition leader Lee Jae Myung in a decisive victory .

Tehran (TIP)- Iran may have averted U.S. strikes for now by pledging not to execute protesters after pressure from President Donald Trump. Trump told reporters that he had been informed the “killing in Iran is stopping,” adding he would be “very upset” if the crackdown continued. That was a marked shift from earlier in the week, when he urged Iranians to keep demonstrating and vowed that “help is on the way.”
Oil fell for the first time in six days as concerns eased over the likelihood of disruptions to supplies from Iran and Arab Gulf states. Brent dropped as much as 4.6% on Thursday — the most since November — paring gains of about 11% over the past week.
On Thursday, Jan 15, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Iran’s decision not to sentence protesters to death is “good news” and that he hopes it “will continue.” Iran’s judiciary ruled out on Wednesday a death sentence for 26-year-old Erfan Soltani, whom activists had said was at risk of imminent execution.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi gave an interview Wednesday to Fox News — one of the few U.S. outlets consistently favored by Trump — to rule out executions of protesters. That appeared to respond directly to the president’s earlier warning that he could take “very strong action” if Iran went down that route.
“Hanging is out of the question,” Araghchi said on Special Report with Bret Baier. “I haven’t heard about that, and there’s no hanging today, tomorrow, or whatever. I can tell you, I’m confident about that. There’s no plan for hanging at all.”
Turkey opposes military intervention against Iran, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Thursday, adding he hoped Tehran and Washington can resolve their differences through dialog. Instability in Iran, he said, would be beyond the region’s capacity to manage.
Tracking data from FlightRadar24 showed flights resuming over Iran’s airspace after a temporary closure. Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said both inbound and outbound flights are underway, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
A series of developments earlier on Wednesday suggested Tehran and Washington were edging close to conflict. Iran temporarily closed its airspace amid reports of a partial redeployment of U.S. troops from Qatar and other regional bases, while the U.K. announced it was temporarily closing its embassy in Iran. Tensions remain high across the region, with the prospects of a renewed flare up — including a U.S. intervention — still possible.
The protests in Iran appear to have receded since last week, when hundreds of thousands took to the streets nationwide to demonstrate against the regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Authorities say they have reasserted control, accusing the U.S. and Israel of fueling unrest and arming terrorists to kill civilians.
Pro-government rallies and state-planned public funerals have dominated state TV coverage, though an ongoing nationwide internet blackout continues to hamper reporting of events on the ground.
Rights groups continued to report a mounting death toll from the demonstrations that began in late December and escalated significantly last week. The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group said at least 3,428 protesters have died, marking it Tehran’s deadliest crackdown on dissidents in decades.
Araghchi reiterated the stance that “diplomacy is much better than war” and pushed back against additional U.S. strikes. “Do not repeat the same mistake that you did in June. If you try a failed experience, you will get the same result,” he said.

Caracas (TIP)- Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said in a message to the US that Venezuelans “did not deserve this vile, warmongering aggression,” El Cooperante reported.
Rodriguez also announced the upcoming construction of a monument in honor of all citizens who died in the US military incursion into Venezuela on January 3.
“No one surrendered here; there was a fight for this homeland, for our liberators, for Chavez, and for Venezuela. That is our greatest satisfaction, and that is our answer. We will face them, one-on-one, and we will show them what the children of Bolivar are made of,” she said as quoted by the Spanish El Cooperante news outlet.
Rodriguez emphasized that weapons in Venezuela are used to “defend” the population, country, sovereignty and dignity, and not for acts of “aggression” against other nations.
She added that Venezuela will give the US a “lesson” in diplomacy, because, he said, the country has a universal legacy dating back to Simon Bolivar. “Our liberator never taught our men and women in arms to be warmongers or to use supremacy to humiliate anyone.”
Rodriguez stressed that the Venezuelans and Cubans who died during the US incursion are “children of the homeland,” asserting that they gave their lives for humanity.
She also announced the creation of a commission for the families of the deceased citizens, as per El Cooperante.
Meanwhile, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Corina Machado asserted this Thursday that she will not rest until all “political prisoners” in the country are freed, following the government’s announcement regarding the release of a group of Venezuelans, as per El Cooperante.
“Today, the truth that was persecuted and silenced for years is finally breaking through, despite the arbitrariness, the cruelty, and the fear. For many months, many years, even decades, their families have borne the fierce weight of a sentence that wasn’t in any file, the sentence of waiting, of silence, of the home that remained standing while the country seemed to be collapsing around them,” she said.
Machado acknowledged the strength and determination of the detainees’ families and asked them to see this moment as an “act of moral restitution,” confirmation that their fortitude was not in vain. “Dignity knows how to wait without surrendering and ultimately triumph,” as reported by El Cooperante.

PARIS (TIP)- Security forces used tear gas and live fire to disperse protesters in Iran, rights groups said on Thursday (Jan 8), as people angered by economic crisis kept up their challenge to the authorities and exiled opposition groups urged new protests as well as strikes.
Twelve days of protests have shaken the clerical authorities under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei already battling economic crisis after years of sanctions and recovering from the June war against Israel.
The movement, which originated with a shutdown on the Tehran bazaar on Dec 28 after the rial plunged to record lows, has spread nationwide and is now being marked by larger scale demonstrations.
Authorities have blamed unrest on “rioters” and the judiciary chief has vowed there would be “no leniency” in bringing them to justice.
On Wednesday, Jan 7, an Iranian police officer was stabbed to death west of Tehran “during efforts to control unrest”, the Iranian Fars news agency said.
Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah ousted by the 1979 Islamic revolution and a key exiled opposition figure, said the turnout on Wednesday had been “unprecedented” in this wave of demonstrations and called for major new protests Thursday evening. He said in a message on social media he had received reports the “regime is deeply frightened and is attempting, once again, to cut off the internet” to thwart the protests.
Iraq-based Iranian Kurdish opposition parties, including the Komala party which is outlawed by Tehran, called for a general strike on Thursday in Kurdish-populated areas in western Iran which have seen intense protest activity.
SOLEIMANI STATUES ATTACKED
The HRANA monitor published a video of protesters in Kuhchenar in the southern Fars province cheering overnight as they pulled down a statue of the former foreign operations commander of the Revolutionary Guards Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in January 2020 and is hailed as a national hero by the Islamic republic.
Persian-language TV channels based outside Iran also posted images of a statue of Soleimani in the central city of Kashan being set on fire. It was not immediately possible to verify the images.
HRANA said according to its count protests had taken place in 348 locations over the last 11 days in all of Iran’s 31 provinces.
It also published a video of people massing late at night in the Tehran satellite city of Karaj and lighting fires in the streets and also images of security forces using tear gas to disperse a protest in the Caspian Sea town of Tonekabon.
Images it said were taken Wednesday, Jan 7, in the western city of Abadan showing security forces firing on protesters.
The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said security forces on Wednesday “opened fire on protesters, used tear gas and violently assaulted civilians” during a protest in the key southeastern hub of Kerman.

New York (TIP)- China has hacked e-mails used by staff members of committees in the US House of Representatives as part of a cyberespionage campaign known as Salt Typhoon, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
China accessed e-mail systems used by some staffers on the House China committee, as well as aides on panels covering foreign affairs, intelligence and the armed services, the report said.
One person familiar with the alleged hacking told the Financial Times that it was unclear whether the attackers had accessed lawmakers’ e-mails in the intrusions, which were detected last month. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
The White House had no immediate comment.
In November last year, the US Senate sergeant at arms notified multiple congressional offices of a “cyberincident,” in which hackers might have accessed communications between the Congressional Budget Office, which provides key financial research data to lawmakers, and some Senate offices.
US officials have previously alleged that the hacking group is prepositioning itself to paralyze critical US infrastructure in case of a conflict with China.
Beijing has repeatedly denied being behind the intrusions.
Early last year, the US imposed sanctions on alleged hackers, accusing them of being involved in Salt Typhoon.
China yesterday said that it was against “politically motivated disinformation” in relation to the report.
“We have always opposed and lawfully combated hacker activities, and we are even more opposed to spreading false information related to China for political purposes,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning told a news conference when asked about the cyberattack.

Moscow (TIP)- Russia doubled down on its longstanding position of declaring Western forces in Ukraine “legitimate targets” on Thursday, days after France and the UK pledged to send troops there in the event of a peace deal.
“The Russian Foreign Ministry warns that the deployment of military units, military facilities, warehouses, and other infrastructure of Western countries on the territory of Ukraine will be classified as foreign intervention,” spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
She was responding to a “declaration of intent” signed by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday at the latest meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, where they agreed to deploy a multinational force to guarantee Ukraine’s security.
Russia has long opposed the presence of any Western troops in Ukraine. “These warnings have been voiced repeatedly at the highest level and remain relevant,” Zakharova said, characterizing the agreement reached by Ukraine’s allies as a “new militaristic declaration.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy has long insisted his Western allies provide robust security guarantees as part of any peace deal to deter a future Russian invasion.
The precise nature of the guarantees that Europe and the US are willing to offer has gradually taken shape following months of meetings. Tuesday’s agreement set out the legal framework for allowing British and French troops to operate in Ukraine, Starmer said, after the two countries had previously stated their willingness to deploy troops there.
Zelensky said Thursday that the agreement reached on security guarantees is now “essentially ready for finalization at the highest level with the president of the United States,” after further negotiations in France on Wednesday.
But, even if the US, Europe and Ukraine reach their own agreement, Moscow’s statement underlines just how far apart the two blocs remain in these negotiations.
Russia has only intensified its attacks in recent weeks, targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure to take out power with the winter cold at its most intense.
Authorities in Kyiv warned residents Thursday to stock up on water, batteries and warm clothing in anticipation of further attacks, as temperatures plunge as low as -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit).
“We can only get to a peace deal if Putin is ready to make compromises,” said Starmer on Tuesday. “For all Russia’s words, Putin is not showing that he’s ready for peace.”

Sanaa (TIP)- Yemen’s separatists have announced a two-year transition to independence despite reporting 20 deaths in air strikes from a Saudi-led coalition in the south of the country. A military official from the separatist group — which is backed by the United Arab Emirates — announced on Friday, local time, that the fighters had been killed in air raids by the coalition on two military bases, an airport and other sites. Mohammed Abdulmalik, head of the separatist Southern Transitional Council’s (STC) in Wadi Hadhramaut and Hadhramaut Desert, said seven air strikes hit the Al-Khasha military camp. Further strikes targeted other sites in the region and the airport and military base in Seiyun, STC military sources and eyewitnesses told Agence France-Presse.
The bombardment and surprise independence bid followed weeks of tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over the STC’s land-grab last month.
STC forces took much of resource-rich Hadhramaut, bordering Saudi Arabia, and neighbouring Mahra province on the Omani frontier, in a largely unopposed advance.
Yemen, which was divided into North and South from 1967 to 1990, could again be split in two years if the STC’s independence plan comes to fruition.
It would call the new country “South Arabia”.
STC President Aidaros Alzubidi said the transitional phase would include dialogue with Yemen’s north — controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels — and a referendum on independence.
But he warned the group would declare independence “immediately” if there was no dialogue or if southern Yemen was attacked again.
“The Council calls on the international community to sponsor dialogue between the concerned parties in the South and the North,” Mr Alzubidi said in a televised address.
“This constitutional declaration shall be considered immediately and directly effective before that date [January 2, 2028] if the call is not heeded or if the people of the South, their land, or their forces are subjected to any military attacks,” he added.
Meanwhile, the head of the country’s Saudi-backed presidential council, Rashad al-Alimi, has asked Saudi Arabia to hold a forum with all factions in Yemen’s south in a bid to ease tensions.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry welcomed the request, calling on the factions — including the STC — to “formulate a comprehensive vision for fair solutions to the southern cause”.
Both Saudi Arabia and the Emirates intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015 as the major players in a coalition fighting the Houthis in the north.
But after a brutal, decade-long civil war, the Houthis remain in place, and the Saudis and Emiratis are backing different factions in the government-held territories. Yemen’s Aden-based government comprises a fractious coalition of groups, including the STC, united by their opposition to the Houthis.
The UAE, which withdrew most of its troops from Yemen in 2019, pledged to pull out the remainder after the coalition’s air strikes earlier this week on an alleged weapons shipment at Mukalla port, despite denying it contained arms.

Taipei (TIP)- The United States urged China to cease military pressure on Taiwan on Jan 1, days after Japan and Western countries voiced concern over escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait following two days of large-scale military exercises around the democratic island. “China’s military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan and others in the region increase tensions unnecessarily,” State Department spokesman Thomas Pigott said in a statement. “We urge Beijing to exercise restraint, cease its military pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue.”
The United States, Pigott added, “supports peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including by force or coercion.”
The State Department’s criticism was the first public response by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to this week’s Chinese military exercises.
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung welcomed the U.S. government’s statement, saying that Taipei “will continue to work with the United States and all like-minded nations to defend the rules-based international order.”
But under Trump, Washington — which is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties — has taken a softer approach to Chinese pressure on the island than its predecessors, as the White House looks to avoid friction with Beijing in a bid to seal a broad trade deal with the Asian powerhouse.
Trump, who is scheduled to make a state visit to the Chinese capital in April for talks with leader Xi Jinping, on Monday downplayed the exercises and the possibility of Xi ordering an invasion of Taiwan.
Beijing views the self-ruled island as its “core of core issues” and regards it as a renegade province that must be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary.
“I have a great relationship with President Xi. And he hasn’t told me anything about it. I certainly have seen it,” Trump said when asked about the exercises. “I don’t believe he’s going to be doing it,” Trump said in apparent reference to a Chinese invasion of the island.
Asked if the exercises concerned him, he replied, “No, nothing worries me.”
“They’ve been doing naval exercises for 20 years in that area,” he added. “Now people take it a little bit differently.”
Japan’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Tokyo had presented its concerns to the Chinese side over the drills, which it said “constitute actions that increase tensions across the Taiwan Strait.” Japan, Australia, Britain, France, Germany, New Zealand and the European Union all voiced concern over the exercises before the U.S. On Friday, China called the exercises “completely legitimate, necessary and beyond reproach.”
“No one cherishes peace across the Taiwan Strait more than we do, yet we will never allow any individual or force to tie our hands in curbing ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities in the name of safeguarding cross-Strait peace,” Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said in a New Year’s speech Thursday in Taipei that the island is determined to defend its sovereignty and pledged to boost its defenses — something the Trump administration has demanded — in response to China’s growing pressure.

New York (TIP)- Russia has formally asked the United States to stop chasing an oil tanker that was headed to Venezuela and is now fleeing a U.S. Coast Guard vessel in the Atlantic Ocean. Russia’s request was first reported by The New York Times, which quoted two people familiar with the matter. They said the diplomatic note was delivered to the State Department late on New Year’s Eve and was also sent to the Homeland Security Council at the White House.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said he’s open to negotiations with Washington on combating drug trafficking.
“The U.S. government knows, because we’ve told many of their spokespeople, that if they want to seriously discuss an agreement to combat drug trafficking, we’re ready,” Maduro said in a taped interview that aired Thursday on state television channel teleSUR, according to NBC News.
Tanker dispute intersects Trump’s Ukraine talks and Venezuela oil blockade
The dispute comes as President Donald Trump is trying to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. During a recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago, both leaders projected hope for a resolution. However, The Times noted that complex negotiations regarding territory and security assurances remain unresolved.
At the same time, the tanker confrontation is tied to Trump’s effort to pressure Maduro by imposing what The Times described as a quasi-blockade on some oil tankers, and what Trump called a “total and complete” maritime blockade of Venezuela’s oil exports.
Energy Intelligence reported that the U.S. seized the Skipper and boarded the Centuries, and that Venezuelan crude is piling up on ships and in limited onshore storage. US calls tanker ‘stateless’ as Russia rushes flag registration
American forces have been tracking the very large crude carrier, originally named Bella 1, for nearly two weeks. U.S. officials said that the tanker began its voyage in Iran and was headed to Venezuela to load oil when the Coast Guard tried to stop and board it in the Caribbean Sea.
According to The Times, American authorities determined the ship was not displaying a legitimate national flag during the initial encounter, giving the Coast Guard legal authority to board and inspect the vessel. U.S. authorities reportedly held a court-approved seizure warrant based on the vessel’s history of transporting Iranian oil that the United States alleges is sold to finance terrorism.
The crew, however, refused to allow the Coast Guard to board the ship and steered back toward the Atlantic. In the following days, U.S. officials said the crew painted a Russian flag on the hull and radioed the Coast Guard to claim they were sailing under Russian authority.