'Back to zero': Manila flood victims clean up, start again

07/25/24 10:20 AM

Manila street vendor Zenaida Cuerda said Thursday she is "back to zero" after floodwaters washed away the food she sells for a living and swept through her house.She is one of thousands in the Philippine capital coming to terms with their losses from the relentless rain, after Typhoon Gaemi intensified the seasonal monsoon."All my capital is gone. I have nothing now," Cuerda told AFP, as she wiped away tears outside the concrete house she shares with her sister."I don't have a husband anymore. I can't rely on my children because they have their own families," she said.At least 20 people were killed in Manila and surrounding provinces as the heavy rain triggered floods and landslides.More than 320 millimetres (12 inches) of rain fell in the capital in the 24 hours to 8:00 am (0000 GMT) on Thursday.Floodwaters quickly reached chest-height in parts of the city, trapping vehicles and forcing people to use small boats to get around.When the waters receded, they left behind muddy streets strewn with rubbish and other debris.As AFP journalists drove around the city on Thursday, mattresses, wooden furniture and bags of rubbish were piled outside houses and shops as people got on with the task of cleaning up.At the pharmacy where he works, Pedro Parado was still coming to terms with the suddenness of the flooding."We couldn't believe that the floods would be that great. Everyone here was surprised," Parado, 40, told AFP."When the rain poured, we went upstairs. We carried all of our things, including the medicines, so they wouldn't get wet."President Ferdinand Marcos joined relief efforts on Thursday, handing out food parcels to people hardest hit by the floods who also tend to be the city's poorest.Marcos said more areas of the city were flooded than when Typhoon Ketsana, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Ondoy, hit in 2009."The amount of water was as not as bad as Ondoy, but the effect was greater than Ondoy," Marcos said in a hard-scrabble neighbourhood near Manila Bay."This is what the effects of climate change are."Despite having experienced flooding in the past, Cuerda thought she would avoid it this time after authorities deepened the river next to her house."We really thought we weren't going to be flooded," she said."Everything was so sudden. We're now back to zero. It's always like this."

'Completely unhinged': Trump stuns with demand that Iran be 'obliterated'

07/25/24 6:54 PM

Former President Donald Trump said Thursday he hopes the U.S. "obliterates Iran" in a post quoting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Trump suggested Iran's approximately 88.55 million citizens should die if an Iranian plot to assassinate him — first revealed to the public earlier this month and denied by Irani officials — proves successful. "If they do 'assassinate President Trump,' which is always a possibility, I hope that America obliterates Iran, wipes it off the face of the Earth," Trump wrote. "If that does not happen, American Leaders will be considered 'gutless' cowards!"Trump also shared a clip from Netanyahu's congressional address Wednesday during which he said, "they brazenly threatened to assassinate President Trump." In the same speech, Netanyahu scolded protesters outside as "Iran's useful idiots," claiming without evidence the nation was funding anti-Israel protests. EXCLUSIVE: Trump’s ‘secretary of retribution’ has a ‘target list’ of 350 people he wants arrestedA national security official told CNN on July 16 that the Secret Service was made aware of an Iranian threat before the July 13 rally when a 20-year-old with an AR-style rifle attempted to assassinate Trump. The Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations denied such a plot in a comment to CNN.“These accusations are unsubstantiated and malicious," a spokesperson told CNN. "From the perspective of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Trump is a criminal who must be prosecuted and punished in a court of law."The spokesperson referenced Qasem Soleimani, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander killed by a U.S. airstrike at Baghdad International Airport in January 2020, CNN reports. "Iran has chosen the legal path to bring him to justice,” the spokesperson said. Trump's threat arrived as Iranian officials openly threaten to build a nuclear weapon. According to the Associated Press, "Iran resumed progress on its nuclear program after the Trump administration ended U.S. cooperation with a 2015 deal that gave Iran relief from sanctions in return for allowing tougher oversight of the program." Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israel in April, the Associated Press reports.Trump's comment was swiftly condemned by readers. "This is a bad man who is engaging in incitement to war crimes," replied the educational platform History Speaks on X. "No, we shouldn't 'obliterate Iran' or 'wipe it off the face of the earth' if they kill a former US President, although of course that would be an act of war. Trump has often promoted war crimes in his rhetoric.""This is completely unhinged, do you understand that?" wrote a user on Trump Media's Truth Social platform."We can't have a world leader who talks like this. He sounds like Kim Jong Un threatening to nuke California and we just laugh at him because we know he'll never do it."

'Direct violation': Trump's latest social media post leads to accusations he broke the law

07/24/24 12:48 PM

Donald Trump on Wednesday was accused of violating the law after posting a letter he received from a foreign leader. Trump late on Tuesday evening posted on social media a letter from an unlikely source: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Trump has previously used the word "Palestinian" as a slur against his enemies. "It is with grave concern that I have received news and later on watched footage of your attempted assassination," Abbas wrote in the letter. "Acts of violence must not have a place in a world of law and order." ALSO READ: How much access did $50,000 buy someone at the Republican National Convention? In response to the letter, Trump wrote in permanent marker, "So nice - thank you. Everything will be good." The comments told a different story, including allegations of law-breaking. One Truth Social user, @Sainturho, wrote, "Direct violation of the Logan Act." The Logan Act is a United States federal law that "forbids private citizens from engaging in unauthorized correspondence with foreign governments," according to Britannica. @SidneyReilly also chimed in, saying it was "awful leader meeting a fired leader failing to make a comeback." "As usual Trump is law breaking," they wrote. "The Logan Act prohibits private citizens from engaging in foreign policy." The user then added, "He just can't help himself. In case someone thinks it's ok cos he's a candidate it's not, he's still just a private felon." The outrage also spilled onto other social media platforms. On X, @smalls2672 wrote, "Apparently, bibi is going to make a special trip to Mar-A-Lago to hang out with Trump." "How is this allowed to happen? Doesn't think directly violate the Logan act?" the user asked. @ashleighlondon also inquired, "Doesn't this violate the Logan Act?" Concerned MAGA fan @Lela2New chimed in, "This may be the Logan Act violation the dems have been salivating for. Give Trump a heads up, would you?"

'Disgusting': Global 1% Captured $42 Trillion in New Wealth Over Past Decade

07/25/24 12:43 PM

The richest sliver of the global population hauled in more than $40 trillion in new wealth over the past decade as countries around the world cut taxes for those at the very top, supercharging inequality that poses a dire threat to democracy and the planet.An Oxfam analysis released Thursday ahead of a meeting of G20 finance ministers estimated that over the past 10 years, the global 1% has accumulated $42 trillion in new wealth. That's "nearly 34 times more than the entire bottom 50% of the world's population," the group observed."That is disgusting," Michael Taylor, founder of the Australian Independent Media Network, wrote in response to the new figures.The analysis comes amid a growing push by current and former world leaders for rich countries to enact a global tax on billionaire wealth that would begin to reverse the damage done by decades of regressive policy. Oxfam found in a separate analysis released earlier this year that economic and political elites' global "war on fair taxation" has slashed taxes for the rich by 32% since 1980.Oxfam said Thursday that global billionaires "have been paying a tax rate equivalent to less than 0.5% of their wealth.""Inequality has reached obscene levels, and until now governments have failed to protect people and planet from its catastrophic effects," Max Lawson, Oxfam's head of inequality policy, said in a statement Thursday. "The richest 1% of humanity continues to fill their pockets while the rest are left to scrap for crumbs.""Momentum to increase taxes on the super-rich is undeniable, and this week is the first real litmus test for G20 governments," Lawson added. "Do they have the political will to strike a global standard that puts the needs of the many before the greed of an elite few?"A recent report by renowned economist Gabriel Zucman of the University of California, Berkeley outlined how nations could go about implementing a 2% minimum tax on the wealth of global billionaires—a policy change that he shows would raise up to $250 billion in annual revenue that could be used to support a range of priorities, from climate investments to education and healthcare programs."Thanks to recent progress in international tax cooperation, a common taxation standard for billionaires has become technically possible," said Zucman. "Implementing it is a question of political will."The economist's report was commissioned by the government of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has championed a global billionaire tax in the face of resistance from powerful nations, including the United States—which has more billionaires than any other country. In 2018, U.S. billionaires paid a lower effective tax rate than working-class Americans.But reporting indicates that the leaders of G20 nations—which are home to roughly 80% of the world's billionaires—are likely to rebuff Lula's push for billionaire wealth tax, opting instead to pursue what Bloombergdescribed as "research on taxation and inequality that could take years to deliver results."Reuters similarly reported Wednesday that G20 finance ministers meeting in Brazil "are preparing a joint statement for Thursday in support of progressive taxation that will stop short of endorsing the hosts' proposal for a global 'billionaire tax.'"The global billionaire wealth surge comes in the context of growing misery for large swaths of the world's population. A report released Wednesday by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that one out of 11 people around the world—or up to 757 million people—"may have faced hunger" last year."The world's poorest people are paying the highest price of hunger," Eric Munoz, Oxfam's food policy expert, said in response to the FAO report. "We need deeper, structural policy and social change to address all of the drivers of hunger, including economic injustice, climate change, and conflict."

'J.D. Vance wasn't there either': Fox News pundit defends Harris after Netanyahu speech

07/24/24 7:52 PM

Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov rebuffed Republican attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris after she declined to attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress.Following the prime minister's address on Wednesday, Fox News host Howard Kurtz criticized Harris for her absence."And the reason that Kamala Harris is not there, or Nancy Pelosi, or many other Democrats, is that they are very much part of the left wing of the Democratic Party, which feels that Israel hasn't done enough to cease fire and getting the hostages home," Kurtz opined.Tarlov gave a more balanced view of the politics at play."In terms of the politics of all of this, I think it is important to note that Kamala Harris wasn't there, but J.D. Vance wasn't there either," she said. "This is not just about an isolationist worldview on the Democratic side or an issue with Israeli politics.""J.D. Vance holds the view that he shouldn't be there to see the prime minister of Israel, something that I'm sure Donald Trump wishes that he would come around a little bit on since he is making a play for Jewish voters, and I think Netanyahu is going to go and see Donald Trump on Friday if the reporting is accurate," she added. ALSO READ: Milwaukee girded for massive convention protests. But they got something else.She emphasized to Kurtz that reluctance to attend the speech was not "all about Democrats.""This is something that is going on on both sides, and there were a lot of Republicans who didn't want to support the Israeli foreign aid package, and Mike Johnson had to work overtime to make sure that he could get that over the last hurdle," Tarlov noted.Watch the video below or at this link.

'War criminal': Benjamin Netanyahu faces protest on House floor from Rashida Tlaib

07/24/24 6:58 PM

At least one member of the U.S. House of Representatives silently protested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he addressed a joint session of Congress.During his speech on Wednesday, the Israeli leader compared pro-Palestinian protesters to Nazis and called them Iran's "useful idiots.""Incredibly, many anti-Israel protesters, many choose to stand with evil," the prime minister said. "They stand with Hamas. They stand with rapists and murderers.""These protesters stand with them, they should be ashamed of themselves," he continued. "Iran is funding the anti-Israel protests that are going on right now outside this building."Netanyahu said he had a message for the protesters.ALSO READ: How much access did $50,000 buy someone at the Republican National Convention?"When the tyrants of Tehran, who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair, are praising, promoting, and funding you, you have officially become Iran's useful idiots," he insisted.As Netanyahu spoke, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) could be seen holding a small black sign with the words "War Criminal."Watch the video below from C-SPAN.

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03/17/23 5:02 PM

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17 Very British Tweets About The Very British Queue To See The Very British Queen's Coffin

09/24/22 1:25 AM

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170 Killed, Hundreds Wounded In Days-Long Israeli Operation In Gaza

07/27/24 7:41 PM

Gaza's civil defence agency said Saturday that Israel's military operation around Khan Yunis has killed about 170 people and wounded hundreds since it started on Monday.

3 Bangladesh Student Leaders Taken Into Custody For Their Own Safety

07/27/24 3:39 PM

Bangladesh said three student leaders had been taken into custody for their own safety after the government blamed their protests against civil service job quotas for days of deadly nationwide unrest.