Politics
Iraq Opens An Investigation Into The Kidnapping Of Elizabeth Tsurkov An Academic
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq has launched an investigation into the disappearance of Elizabeth Tsurkov a dual Israeli-Russian professor who has been missing in Iraq since March, according to a government official on Friday.
The remarks by Bassem al-Awadi were the first official Iraqi statements since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declared on Wednesday that Elizabeth Tsurkov is still alive “and we hold Iraq responsible for her safety and well-being.”
Tsurkov, according to Netanyahu, is being detained by the Shiite militia Kataeb Hezbollah, also known as the Hezbollah Brigades, a formidable Iran-backed group that the US government designated as a terrorist organization in 2009.
Tsurkov, whose work concentrates on the Middle East, particularly war-torn Syria, is a regional affairs specialist who foreign media have regularly quoted. Tsurkov’s most recent tweet was on March 21.
Tsurkov, a doctoral candidate at Princeton, is a fellow at the Washington-based think tank New Lines Institute.
“There is no official statement yet due to the ongoing official investigations into the disappearance of a foreign journalist,” al-Awadi told The Associated Press via text message. “We are unable to provide specific details at this time.”
Iraq has launched an investigation into the disappearance of Elizabeth Tsurkov.
According to Netanyahu, is an academic who traveled to Iraq of her own volition to work on her Ph.D. and academic study at Princeton University.
Tsurkov could not have entered Iraq using her Israeli passport because the two countries do not have diplomatic relations.
A senior Kataeb Hezbollah official declined to comment on the situation.
Later, the group published a statement in which they neither confirmed nor denied their involvement in Tsurkov’s disappearance but instead called for the identification and prosecution of Iraqis involved in assisting the work of Israeli residents in a country that forbids cooperation with Israel.
Following the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Iran emerged as a significant power broker in the country, supporting Shiite parties and militias that have enjoyed widespread influence in the country ever since.
A local website alleged days after her disappearance that Iraqi officials had apprehended an Iranian citizen implicated in her kidnapping. According to the report, Tsurkov was kidnapped in Baghdad’s central neighborhood of Karradah, and Iran’s embassy in Baghdad was appealing for his release and deportation to Iran.
At the time, several Iraqi activists uploaded a copy of an Iranian man’s passport, saying he was involved in the kidnapping.
Israel regards Iran as its most dangerous adversary, citing its hostile rhetoric, support for militant groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and a possible nuclear program. Iran disputes Western claims that it is developing a nuclear weapon.
SOURCE – (AP)
President-elect Donald Trump has named Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, 42, his attorney general. This position doubles as the country’s top prosecutor and the director of the Department of Justice.
Trump announced the nominee in a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, noting Matt Gaetz’s experience as a lawyer and member of the House Judiciary Committee.
He also stated that Gaetz’s nomination would be part of his strategy to rid the government of perceived opponents. Trump has frequently accused Democrats of “weaponizing” the Justice Department against him, a charge he reiterated in Wednesday’s statement.
Matt will halt weaponized government, secure our borders, dismantle criminal organizations, and restore Americans’ severely eroded faith and confidence in the Justice Department, Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Donald Trump has sent shockwaves across Washington by appointing former Democratic congressman Tulsi Gabbard as the new director of national intelligence.
The moves sparked quick criticism that the president-elect ignores qualifications to put his most fervent followers in charge of the country’s most important government agencies.
Even before Gaetz and Gabbard were named, Trump aroused eyebrows by naming Pete Hegseth, an army veteran and Fox News commentator, as his contender for defense secretary.
Trump has also made more conventional picks for prominent jobs, such as choosing Florida Senator Marco Rubio to be Secretary of State.
Gaetz’s planned appointment as attorney general comes as President Trump threatens to restructure the US Department of Justice in retaliation for criminal investigations and indictments initiated against him by federal prosecutors in recent years.
Tulsi Gabbard at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida.
Tulsi Gabbard was the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) Vice-Chair from 2013 to 2016 when she resigned to support Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential candidacy.
Tulsi is an Iraq War veteran and Army reservist. Three years ago, she received the rank of lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserve.
“As a former Candidate for the Democrat Presidential Nomination, she has broad support in both Parties – She is now a proud Republican!” According to Trump’s remarks.
“I am confident that Tulsi will bring the courageous attitude that has distinguished her remarkable career to our intelligence community, championing our constitutional rights and securing peace through strength. “Tulsi will make us all proud!”
Once confirmed, Tulsi Gabbard will advise Trump, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council on national security issues.
US President-elect Donald Trump has picked Pete Hegseth, a decorated Army veteran and Fox News broadcaster, as his defense secretary. The announcement sent shockwaves across the Pentagon and defense industry.
Many in Washington expected the nominee to be a seasoned legislator or someone with defense policy experience. Trump’s choice of Hegseth caught them completely off guard.
In his first political post, 44-year-old Pete Hegseth will be in charge of the world’s most powerful military. He previously served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
When he announced his decision on Tuesday, Trump praised it as “tough, smart, and a true believer in America First.” He also emphasized the former soldier’s schooling at Princeton and Harvard institutions and his combat experience in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – our military will be great again, and America will never back down,” the president wrote on Facebook.
The president-elect also highlighted Hegseth’s work as a published novelist. He stated that The War on Warrior “reveals the leftwing betrayal of our warriors and how we must return our military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability, and excellence.”
Hegseth was a major in the Minnesota National Guard who worked as a prison guard in the Guantánamo Bay detention camp and Iraq and Afghanistan and has been an outspoken critic of what he calls “woke” policies inside the US military and its leadership.
“The dumbest phrase on planet earth in the military is our diversity is our strength,” Hegseth stated on a webcast last month.
One of his responsibilities as defense secretary could be to carry out Trump’s campaign vows to remove US generals accused of supporting progressive agendas within the military.
Trump stated that entrepreneur Elon Musk, another political novice, would help the administration decrease costs.
Trump’s government is taking shape following his victory in last week’s presidential election. Hegseth was part of a flurry of security appointments, including Trump’s selection of John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency.
If confirmed by the US Senate, Hegseth will arrive at the Pentagon with decisions to make on topics such as military aid to Israel during its fight in Gaza and backing for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s invasion.
Trump wants the United States to distance itself from foreign conflicts in general. During the election campaign, he criticized the Biden administration’s spending to aid Ukraine.
Also on Tuesday, Trump stated that he wanted South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to play a key role as homeland security secretary. Trump appointed another military veteran, Michael Waltz, as national security advisor, which means he will counsel the president on international dangers.
According to sources at the BBC’s US partner CBS News, Senator Marco Rubio, who shares Waltz’s strong views on China, is anticipated to be Trump’s future secretary of state. However, the selection has not yet been verified.
Republicans have regained control of the Senate and the upper chamber of Congress and are closing in on a majority in the House and the lower chamber as vote counting continues.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed optimism Tuesday about working with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, ramping up his rhetoric again by saying Canada has dealt with his trade threats before and can do so again.
Trudeau tried to play down possible retaliations by Trump over his past rhetoric, saying Trump’s trade threats are mostly aimed at China, and Canada has previously demonstrated a willingness to align with the United States against the Chinese if required.
Trudeau said that a concerted approach to Chinese trade and actions to address the country’s oppressive trade practices could help Canada win Trump’s favor.
For years, Trump has accused China of purposely weakening its currency and flooding the world with cheap items manufactured by low-wage workers, replacing American-made products and forcing jobs away.
The Trump administration is concerned about international pressures, particularly China’s overcapacity and unfair trade tactics. Canada is already aligned with the United States, and we can accomplish great things together,” Trudeau stated.
Trudeau’s allusion
Canada and the United States collaborated as “friends and partners” during Trump’s first term, “and we’re going to do that again,” Trudeau stated.
Trudeau’s allusion to being “aligned” with the Americans refers to Canada’s decision in August to join the US in imposing punishing tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles to preserve the country’s young EV industry.
As of October 1, Canada imposed a 100% surtax on Chinese-made EVs, doubling the cost of those imported vehicles and making them significantly less appealing to Canadian buyers.
According to a readout of Trudeau’s first contact with Trump since the election, the two discussed “addressing unfair trading practices in the global economy. While Canada and the United States agree on EVs, there may be difficulty with Mexico, the third member in the continental free trade agreement.
Trump has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on Mexico, with up to 200 percent levies on vehicles imported from the nation, to make it less appealing for automakers to build operations there.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in automotive manufacturing in Mexico; most of that product is bound for the United States. Chinese EV manufacturer BYD has been seeking areas for a Mexican facility that may supply the US market.
“All I’m doing is saying… I’ll put a number where they can’t sell one car,” Trump said of Mexico in October about promised tariffs.
“I don’t want them hurting our car companies.”
Canada-U.S.-Mexico Trade Agreement
He has also threatened Mexico with high tariffs if it does not do more to stem the flow of migrants entering the United States. Kelly Craft, Trump’s former ambassador to Canada, has claimed the president-elect is also concerned about transshipments.
That is the practice of countries such as China shipping goods to Mexico so that they may be sold tariff-free in Canada and the United States under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Trade Agreement, which Trump renegotiated during his administration.
“There are manufacturers producing products for the U.S. and Canada in Mexico, and he wants to reduce that, he wants us to have indigenous manufacturing capability,” Craft said of Trump in an interview with Radio-Canada before last week’s presidential election.
Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressed similar concerns Tuesday, suggesting that Canada and the United States should negotiate a future free trade agreement alone and exclude Mexico.
“Since signing on to the new NAFTA, Mexico has allowed itself to become a backdoor for Chinese cars, auto parts and other products into Canadian and American markets,” Ford told reporters.
“If Mexico won’t fight transshipment by, at the very least, matching Canadian and American tariffs on Chinese imports, they shouldn’t have a seat at the table or enjoy access to the largest economy in the world.”
Regarding Trump’s pledge to impose a minimum 10% tariff on all imports — a policy that could be applied to Canada — Trudeau said Tuesday that he is working to persuade the incoming president that the approach would be terrible for businesses and the workers they employ on both sides of the border.
During Trump’s first term, Canada was subjected to tariffs on steel and aluminum from the United States, which was an economically destructive policy. Canada replied with dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs, forcing the United States to back down.
Trudeau stated that if necessary, Canada may undertake this strategy again.
“We responded to tariffs he brought in with a demonstration that the interdependence of our economies means there are great jobs on both sides of the border that rely on the smooth flow of goods,” he told reporters. “That’s going to continue to be the case.”
However, trade experts believe that even the possibility of tariffs might be detrimental to Canada since it may cause corporations to reconsider investing here.
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