Israele assedia Khan Younis, schianto aereo russo, Trump continua la marcia 🗞️ Rassegna 25/01/2024

Israele

(Guardian) Israel’s assault on Gaza’s second-largest city continues

• The Israeli army said on Wednesday that it had “encircled” the southern city of Khan Younis after two days of heavy fighting
• Fierce battles had reached the gates of Khan Younis’s three main hospitals – al-Aqsa, Nasser and al-Amal – making it difficult for civilians to flee. About 18,000 people were believed to be sheltering in the grounds of Nasser hospital alone, Ocha, UN’s agency’s for Palestinian refugees director, said, along with 850 patients.
• A building at a training center in the city run by the UN’s agency, where about 800 people had sought shelter, was hit by tank shelling, according to Ocha, who said on social media that nine people had been killed and 75 injured, with medical teams unable to access the building.

Russia

(AP) A Russian military transport plane crashed Wednesday in a border region near Ukraine

• Moscow accused Kyiv of shooting it down, saying all 74 people aboard were killed, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war headed for a swap. Russia offered no evidence.
• A U.S. official said it’s not clear that there were actually Ukrainian POWs aboard the aircraft that crashed. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that Ukraine targets Russian military transport planes believed to be delivering missiles, especially near the border.
• Ukrainian military intelligence confirmed a swap was due to take place but said it had no information about who was on the crashed Russian plane. Moscow did not ask for specific airspace to be kept safe for a certain length of time, as has happened in past exchanges, it said in a statement.

Europa

Slovacchia:

(Meduza) Slovakian prime minister reverses course, vows not to block $54 billion euro E.U. aid package for Ukraine

• Slovakia also reportedly vowed not to block Ukraine from purchasing weapons and equipment from Slovak companies, According to Shmyhal, PM of Ukraine, Fico, PM of Slovakia gave his assurance that Ukraine has Slovakia’s “full support for its European integration aspirations.”
• Fico previously expressed support for the stance taken by Hungary, which has opposed the Ukraine Facility proposal.
• The meeting between Shmyhal and Fico took place in the city of Uzhhorod in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region.

UK:

(AP) Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda migration bill suffers a blow in Britain’s Parliament

• The House of Lords voted by 214 to 171 on Monday evening to delay the treaty that paves the way for the deportation plan. The treaty and an accompanying bill are the pillars of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ’s bid to overcome a block on the deportations by the U.K. Supreme Court.
• Members of the Lords, who are appointed rather than elected, backed a motion saying Parliament should not ratify the pact until ministers can show Rwanda is safe.
• The vote has little practical impact, because the House of Lords can’t block an international treaty, and the government says it will not delay. However, ignoring the demand could later be used against the government in a legal challenge.

Germania:

(Politico) Germany’s top court ruled in favor of cutting state funding for an extreme-right party

• The Constitutional Court said state financing for a marginal, extremist party known as Die Heimat, or The Homeland, could be cut because the party “shows disdain for the free democratic basic order” and aims to replace German democracy with an authoritarian state based on Nazi-era notions of a racially unified “people’s community.”
• The decision is amplifying an impassioned debate in Germany about whether to undertake a legal effort to counter the AfD. For weeks, politicians have weighed in on the possibility of an outright prohibition of the party.
• The domestic debate about what to do about the AfD has grown all the more intense since a report earlier this month revealed that members of party were present at a secret meeting of right-wing extremists in a hotel near the city of Potsdam in which a “master plan” to deport foreigners and “unassimilated citizens” en masse was discussed.
• The AfD has continued to rise in polls even as it has steadily become more extreme. The party is now polling at 23 percent, according to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls, and in the regions of the former East Germany, where three state elections will be held in September, the party is leading.

Politica internazionale

Nord America

Stati Uniti:

(Reuters) Tesla plans to build new electric vehicles in mid-2025

• Tesla has told suppliers it wants to start production of a new mass market electric vehicle codenamed "Redwood" in mid-2025, according to four people familiar with the matter, with two of them describing the model as a compact crossover.
• Tesla CEO Elon Musk has long whetted fans' and investors' appetites for affordable electric vehicles. Those models, including an entry-level $25,000 car, would allow it to compete with cheaper gasoline-powered cars and a growing number of inexpensive EVs, such as those made by China's BYD, that overtook Tesla as the world's top EV maker in the final quarter of 2023.

(BBC) Donald Trump has won the New Hampshire primary

• He defeated his last remaining rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. New Hampshire was her best shot to disrupt Mr Trump's steady march toward the Republican presidential nomination.
• Although Mr Trump's victory in New Hampshire did not match the 20-point margin that was predicted by recent polls, it should be more than enough to maintain the current direction of the race.
• As polls for many months have shown, the Republican Party is still Donald Trump's party. His base's loyalty is unwavering, through dramas both legal and political. His brand of conservative populism is in step with his party's voters, as is his focus on issues like immigration, crime and energy.

Medio Oriente

Arabia Saudita:

(Reuters) Saudi Arabia prepares to open first alcohol store 

• The alcohol store in the capital Riyadh will serve exclusively non-Muslim diplomats, according to a source familiar with the plans and a document.
• Saudi Arabia has strict laws against drinking alcohol which can be punishable by hundreds of lashes, deportation, fines, or imprisonment and expatriates also face deportation.
• The move is a milestone in the kingdom's efforts, led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to open the ultra-conservative Muslim country for tourism and business. It is also part of wider plans known as Vision 2030 to build a post-oil economy. 

Iraq/Yemen:

(Aljazeera) US carries out new strikes on Houthi missiles in Yemen, Iraq sites

• The United States military launched new strikes in Yemen against Houthi anti ship missiles and facilities in Iraq targeting Iran-backed armed groups it says were behind missile and drone attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria.
• Since the US and its allies started attacking Houthi military sites on January 11, the Pentagon says it has destroyed or degraded more than 25 missile launch and deployment facilities, more than 20 missiles, while also hitting drones, coastal radar.
• Separately, the US targeted sites used by Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, days after four US personnel suffered traumatic brain injuries after the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq was hit by multiple ballistic missiles and rockets allegedly fired by Iranian-backed militants. Iraq’s army said the US attack harmed “security and stability” in the country.

Asia e Pacifico

Cina:

(Reuters) China seals closer Uzbek ties, pushes railway route bypassing Russia

• China upgraded its diplomatic ties with Uzbekistan and offered closer cooperation across a range of projects, including a Central Asia railway that would open up a new trade route as shippers shun an existing overland link via Russia.
• The project has been discussed since the 1990s but gained new importance after the invasion of Ukraine prompted sanctions on Russia which resulted in shippers between China and Europe avoiding sending goods overland via Russia.
• In the long term, the Central Asia route could potentially help cut freight transport times between China and Europe. But financing and technical details for the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project remain unclear