Category World News

A constitutional amendment that would eliminate election run-offs, extend the term from five to six, and allow indefinite presidential re-election was supported by 57 Congress members on Thursday.

Despite a clear prohibition in the country’s constitution, Bukele won a second term last year. The leader’s human right to run again was confirmed by El Salvador’s top court, which was made up of judges who supported Bukele.

Bukele re-elected last year, but he avoided being asked if he would attempt to run for a third term. He said he “didn’t think a constitutional reform would be necessary.”

With the constitutional changes on Thursday, Bukele will be able to run again and enjoy strong home support from his violent campaign against organized crime.

Additionally, the overhaul will shorten the president’s current term to synchronize 2027 elections, which are currently held by a balancing committee of presidential, legislative, and municipal elections.

After counting the votes on Thursday, Ernesto Castro, the leader of the ruling New Ideas party, thanked the deputies for making history.

Democracy has “died,” according to the statement.

As El Salvador enters its final week of summer holidays, opposition lawmaker Marcela Villatoro from the Republican National Alliance (ARENA) criticized the proposal being introduced to parliament.

The reform was criticized by Vamos party member Claudia Ortiz as “an abuse of power and a caricature of democracy.”

International human rights organizations have also been harsh critics of the constitutional reform.

According to Miguel Montenegro, director of the El Salvadoran NGO Human Rights Commission, “the reforms result in a total imbalance in the democracy that no longer exists.”

According to Noah Bullock, executive director of rights organization Cristosal, “they changed the political system the day before vacation, without debate, without informing the public, and we continue to follow the well-travelled path of autocrats,” according to Noah Bullock, executive director of Cristosal, without going into detail.

Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) has increased its travel warnings for Israeli visitors and residents of the United Arab Emirates, citing the increased risk of “terrorist organizations” carrying out attacks in the Gulf State.

The Iranians, Hamas, Hezbollah, and “global jihad” are increasingly threatening Israeli targets, according to the NSC in a statement released on Thursday, driven by Israel’s military operations in the Middle East.

According to the statement, “They are motivated by heightened motivation to exact revenge following Operation Rising Lion, in addition to the growing pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian incitement since the start of Operation Iron Swords, and even more so in response to Hamas’ starvation campaign,” it said, referring to its military assaults on Iran and Gaza.

Israel is increasingly under international pressure as a result of the Israeli military’s months-long blockade of aid to the Palestinian enclave.

Under a United States-brokered deal known as the Abraham Accords, the UAE became the most well-known Arab state in 30 years to form official ties with Israel. Since the signing of the agreements, Israel and the Jewish community in the nation has grown bigger and more visible.

However, the NSC statement claimed that “terrorist organizations frequently concentrate their efforts in neighboring countries” as a result of “past experience.”

The NSC reiterated that it is possible that they will attempt to attack Israeli and Jewish targets in the UAE, particularly during Shabbat and on Jewish holidays, in light of this.

The NSC’s travel advisory for the UAE, which is still at level 3, strongly advises against non-essential travel and urges Israeli citizens to “seriously reconsider” visiting the Gulf state.

Three people were given the death penalty in the UAE for the murder of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi in March despite the reputation of the Middle East as one of the safest places there.

As Israel’s condemnation of famine in Gaza grows and more than 1, 000 desperately hungry Palestinians have been killed since May at food distribution centers run by the infamous US- and Israeli-backed GHF, Witkoff and US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, will travel to Gaza on Friday to inspect aid distribution.

On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Witkoff would visit “distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground.”

According to Leavitt, the special envoy and the ambassador will immediately communicate with the president in order to approve a final plan for the distribution of food and aid throughout the region.

The top US envoy’s visit comes a day after more than 50 Palestinians were killed in Israeli-led attacks in the area. Health officials also confirmed that 89 children had died in recent weeks, adding to the confirmed death toll of 154 people from “famine and malnutrition” in Gaza.

According to the Israeli leader’s office, Witkoff and Netanyahu met shortly after his arrival in Israel on Thursday.

President Trump earlier this week refuted Netanyahu’s claim that Gaza’s reports of hunger were false, with the US leader claiming that the region was “real starvation”.

The Israeli military’s blockade of humanitarian aid was cited by the UN and independent experts, who had been warning about starvation in Gaza for months. This week, they announced that “famine is now unfolding.

The United Kingdom, Canada, and Portugal became the latest Western governments to announce plans to recognize a Palestinian state this week after Israel denied providing aid and continued attacks on Gaza’s population.

Following Spain, Norway, and Ireland’s lead, French President Emmanuel Macron announced last week that France would support the recognition of Palestine at the September UN General Assembly.

Out of the 193 UN members, 142 nations currently or intend to recognize a Palestinian state.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said, “the humanitarian disaster in Gaza is beyond imagination,” after meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday in Jerusalem.

He urged the Israeli government to act quickly, safely, and effectively to provide humanitarian and medical aid to stop widespread starvation.

“It seems to have been understood today,” I believe.

On Friday, August 1, 2018, the situation is as follows:

Fighting

More than 100 people were hurt and killed when Russia launched missiles and drones at Kyiv on Thursday morning, according to Ukrainian authorities, who were in charge of the city. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, it attacked and targeted Ukrainian military installations, ammunition depots, and businesses connected to Kyiv’s military-industrial complex.
• After nearly 16 months of fighting, Russia asserted that it had taken control of Chasiv Yar, a destroyed town in eastern Ukraine, calling the claim “propaganda” by Kyiv.
• In Penza, in western Russia, Ukrainian drones were flown in by the state security agency SBU, which makes combat control systems for the Russian military.

military assistance

• Despite US President Donald Trump’s administration’s request in its budget request, a powerful US Senate committee has approved a military spending bill that includes about $1 billion for Ukraine.

Ceasefire

• According to President Trump, Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, will travel to Russia after his most recent trip to Israel. Witkoff, who has previously had long-running ceasefire discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, was not given an itinerary by Trump.
• Trump has harshly criticized Russia’s “disgusting” attitude toward Ukraine and declared he will impose sanctions on Moscow if no ceasefire agreement is reached. Putin has until August 8 to reach a resolution to put an end to the fighting, according to the US president.
• Senior US diplomat John Kelley told the 15-member council that “both Russia and Ukraine must negotiate a ceasefire and durable peace,” as the US once again reaffirmed its commitment to the UN Security Council. “It’s time to make a deal,” Kelly said. This must be accomplished by August 8 as President Trump has stated. The United States is prepared to take additional steps to bring about peace.
• After the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council declared that Washington’s threats to impose sanctions on Moscow and oil producers were “a game of ultimatums” and “a step closer to a war between Russia and the US,” Trump also told Dmitry Medvedev to “watch his words.”
• The former Russian president responded by reminding Trump to keep in mind that Moscow had the last resort of Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities.

Ukrainian affairs

The parliament of Ukraine resolved to end Russia’s biggest political crisis since Russia’s invasion by restoring the independence of two significant anticorruption organizations.
• The bill was approved by the legislature last week after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was under pressure from thousands of protesters and senior European officials. It was defeated by a vote of 331 to 0 in favor.

regional changes

• In advance of joint drills scheduled for August 1 through August 5, Chinese naval vessels have steamed into Vladivostok, Russia’s far eastern port.

Trump also signed an executive order late on Thursday that increased tariffs on some Canadian goods, with the White House accusing Ottawa of failing to “cooperate in reducing the ongoing flood of fentanyl and other illicit drugs” entering the US.

The US listed 69 trading partners and their respective “adjusted” tariff rates in a statement released on Thursday titled “Further Modifying the Reciprocal Tariff Rates.”

Exports to the US from some of Washington’s biggest trading partners, including Australia and the UK, will be subject to the standard 10% price.

As negotiations for a slow-moving trade agreement drag on, higher rates have been imposed on other important trading partners, including Taiwan and India, which have a 25% share.

In a statement announcing the reimposition of the tariffs on the White House website, Trump cited the “continued lack of reciprocity in our bilateral trade relationships.”

He said, “I have determined that imposing additional ad valorem duties on the products of some trading partners is necessary and appropriate to deal with the national emergency that was declared in Executive Order 14257.”

A fact sheet about the rising tariff rate for Canada was also published by the White House. Trump lamented “Canada’s continued inaction and retaliation” in the release regarding the “flow of illicit drugs” into the US via its northern border.

The White House stated that “President Trump felt it was necessary to increase Canada’s tariff from 25% to 35% in order to effectively address the existing emergency,” adding that the new rates will go into effect on August 1.

According to the fact sheet, no tariffs would be applied to goods that meet the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)’s (Mexico-Canada) requirements.

Trump declared a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), citing a “public health crisis caused by fentanyl and illicit drugs” flowing into the US from Canada shortly after taking office in January.

According to an unnamed senior Trump administration official, the US will also implement new rules of origin to set tariff rates on transshipped goods in the upcoming weeks.