Carey and Marsh lead Australia to 2-0 Test series win over New Zealand | Cricket News

Carey shared 140-run partnership with Marsh as Australia won the second Test by three wickets in a tense finish.

Alex Carey scored an unbeaten 98 and shared a 140-run partnership with Mitch Marsh to drive Australia to a three-wicket win in the second Test and a 2-0 sweep of the series over New Zealand in Christchurch.

The contest played out on a relatively mild fourth-day pitch on Monday and both sides had moments when they took control. But it was Marsh’s innings of 80 and Carey’s steady hand which guided Australia to victory.

Wicketkeeper Carey then teamed up with captain Pat Cummins as Australia chased down their 279-run victory target before tea on day four.

“It was pretty tense,” said Cummins, who scored 32 not out and hit the winning runs with a four to the point boundary.

“I think the story of this series was in key moments, someone stood up and made themselves a match-winner so yeah, [we] keep finding ways to win. It’s a pretty awesome squad.”

New Zealand, chasing a first home Test win over their neighbours in 31 years, had put the tourists on the back foot with four wickets in the last 90 minutes of play on day three.

After rain delayed the start of day four for an hour, skipper Tim Southee struck with the eighth delivery to dismiss Travis Head for 18 and reduce the tourists to 80-5.

In retrospect, however, Rachin Ravindra fumbling a straightforward catch that would have sent back Marsh for 28 off the previous delivery was perhaps the more significant moment.

“I think whenever you’ve finished a close game you always look back on a number of things,” said Southee, who with fellow stalwart Kane Williamson was playing his 100th Test.

“This morning was always going to be a crucial period with the ball still reasonably new, and we were able to beat the bat a few times but they were able to weather that storm.”

The defeat left the Black Caps with just one Test win in 24 attempts against their closest rivals this century, while Australia will now move above them into second place in the World Test Championships standings behind India.

Carey was denied his second Test century but cared little as he and his captain steered their side to their target 281-7 and a sixth win in seven Tests over the Australasian summer.

“I was happy with that,” Carey said. “I didn’t want to be on strike again. It was a great series and this match ebbed and flowed. We had our backs against the wall this morning, they came out and put us under the pump so it’s nice to chase those runs down.”

Carey, who also took 10 catches over New Zealand’s two innings to match Adam Gilchrist’s Australian record, said Australia “stayed resilient” despite the early pressure.

“Everyone’s had their moments and it’s a really special team we’re playing in.”

New Zealand seamer Matt Henry was named Player of the Series for his 17 wickets over the two matches, the first of which finished with Australian victors by 172 runs in Wellington.



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Australia gives $41mn to ASEAN countries for ‘free, open’ South China Sea | South China Sea News

Funds come after Philippine president told Australian parliament he would ‘not yield’ a ‘square inch’ in the South China Sea.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong has announced 64 million Australian dollars ($41.8m) in funding for maritime security on the first day of a special summit with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Melbourne.

“The countries of our region rely on oceans, seas and rivers for livelihoods and commerce, including free and open sea lanes in the South China Sea,” Wong said in her address to a forum on maritime cooperation on Monday morning.

Wong did not specify which countries the funding would go to but “welcomed efforts” by Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines to “delimit their maritime boundaries”.

Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam claim parts of the South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety.

“What happens in the South China Sea, in the Taiwan Strait, in the Mekong subregion, across the Indo-Pacific, affects us all,” Wong said.

The special summit hosted in Melbourne marks 50 years since Australia became a “dialogue partner” of ASEAN, whose members are countries in Southeast Asia, and comes as its members last year held their first-ever joint military drills.

The ruling centre-left Labor party has long aimed to forge closer ties with the region, recognising Australia’s proximity to Southeast Asia.

But Australia’s relationship with its regional neighbours and its interests in the South China Sea is also viewed through the lens of Australia’s close ties with the United States and its membership in the Australia, United Kingdom and United States security pact known as AUKUS.

In her speech, Wong quoted Indonesian President Joko Widodo as saying, “We also have the responsibility to lower the tension, to melt the ice, to create space for dialogue, to bridge the differences” in the region.

Indonesia, along with Malaysia, is among Australia’s allies in the region to have raised concerns that Canberra’s investing tens of billions of dollars in nuclear submarines is potentially contributing to a nuclear arms race in Southeast Asia and the wider Asia Pacific.

Philippines ‘will not yield one square inch’

In a speech to Australia’s parliament last week, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr was resolute on his countries’ position on the South China Sea, amid rising tension with Beijing over their competing claims.

“I will not allow any attempt by any foreign power to take even one square inch of our sovereign territory,” Marcos said.

The Philippines has reported multiple incidents with China in the South China Sea, accusing its coast guard of dangerous manoeuvres and filing diplomatic protests with Beijing over its actions.

“The challenges that we face may be formidable, but equally formidable is our resolve. We will not yield,” he said.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr addresses the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday [David Gray/AFP]

But while some Australian representatives reportedly applauded Marcos’s remarks, at least one member of Australia’s parliament, Senator Janet Rice, publicly questioned his legacy and was kicked out for holding up a sign saying, “Stop the Human Rights Abuses”.

Marcos Jr is the son of former Philippine hardline leader Ferdinand Marcos who was overthrown in a popular uprising in 1986 and fled into exile.

Greens Senator Janet Rice holds a sign as Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr delivers an address to members and senators at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on Thursday [Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP]

On the streets outside parliament last week, activists held protests on Australia’s apparent lack of scrutiny of its allies’ human rights records, amid ongoing protests over Australia’s support for Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip. More protests are planned around this week’s ASEAN summit.

Wong’s speech also included a nod to Australian funding for climate change resilience through the Mekong-Australia partnership, as many Australians, and neighbouring Pacific countries, question increasing militarisation in a time of climate crisis.

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Tuvalu reaffirms Taiwan ties, plans to revise Australia security pact | Politics News

New government pledges to keep up ‘special’ relationship with Taiwan, ending speculation it may switch diplomatic recognition to China.

Tuvalu’s new government has committed to continued diplomatic ties with Taiwan instead of switching to China, and said it plans to revise a defence and migration agreement struck with Australia.

Prime Minister Feleti Teo and his seven cabinet ministers, who won office following a general election last month, made the commitments in a statement of priorities after being sworn in on Wednesday.

“The new government wishes to reaffirm its commitment to the long-term and lasting special relationship between Tuvalu and the Republic of China, Taiwan,” the statement said.

“It intends to reassess options that would strengthen and lift it to a more durable, lasting, and mutually beneficial relationship.”

Tuvalu, a Pacific Islands nation of about 11,200 people, is one of only 12 countries that have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a self-governed democracy that China claims as its own territory.

The China-Taiwan issue was heightened during Tuvalu’s election campaign when a senior lawmaker floated the idea that the country’s new government could review its ties with Taipei.

In Beijing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning urged Tuvalu to switch diplomatic recognition to China.

“We call on a handful of countries that still keep the so-called relationship with the Taiwan region to stand on the right side of history and make the right decision that truly serves their long-term interest,” she said.

Nauru, Tuvalu’s neighbour, cut ties with Taiwan last month and switched to China, which had promised the country more development help.

Teo’s government, in its statement of priorities, also pledged to revisit a landmark pact signed with Canberra in November that offered Tuvalu citizens a climate refuge in Australia. The treaty is yet to be ratified.

The new government said it supports the “broad principles and objectives” of the bilateral security pact, but acknowledged an “absence of transparency and consultations” behind the treaty.

It said it wants to renegotiate the deal with a focus on “safeguarding the integrity of the sovereignty of Tuvalu”.

Tuvalu’s low-lying atolls make it particularly vulnerable to global warming.

Two of the country’s nine coral islands have already largely disappeared under the waves, and climate scientists fear the entire archipelago will be uninhabitable within the next 80 years.

In the treaty, Australia offered Tuvaluans a lifeline to help residents escape the rising seas and increased storms brought by climate change.

Australia would initially allow up to 280 Tuvaluans to come to Australia each year.

The treaty also commits Australia to help Tuvalu in response to major natural disasters, pandemics and military aggression.

In return, Australia would gain the contentious veto power that is seen as an attempt to prevent a Chinese military foothold in Tuvalu.

A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs said Canberra “stands ready to engage with Prime Minister Teo and his government on the priorities they have outlined”.

The United States and Australia, its influential ally in the region, have been rapidly building bridges with Pacific island nations in response to China signing a security pact with the Solomon Islands in 2022 that raised the prospects of a Chinese naval base being established in the South Pacific.

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Taylor Swift’s father accused of assaulting photographer in Australia | Crime News

Police in the state of New South Wales say they are investigating the alleged incident.

Pop icon Taylor Swift’s father has been accused of assaulting a paparazzi photographer in Australia.

Ben McDonald, a Sydney paparazzo, told Australia’s national broadcaster that he had filed a police report accusing Scott Swift of punching him in the face.

“In 23 years of doing this I’ve never been assaulted, let alone been punched in the face by a father,” the ABC quoted McDonald as saying.

Police in the state of New South Wales said in a statement they were investigating an alleged assault by an unnamed 71-year-old man in the North Shore area of Sydney.

“Police have been told a 71-year-old man allegedly assaulted a 51-year-old man at Neutral Bay Wharf about 2.30am (Tuesday 27 February 2024), before leaving the location,” NSW Police said in a statement.

“The younger man reported the incident and inquiries are now underway by officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command.”

Swift, one of the most successful music artists of all time with 14 Grammy wins and hundreds of millions of album sales worldwide, wrapped up the Australian leg of her worldwide tour on Monday with a show in front of  81,000 fans at Sydney’s Accor Stadium.

Swift will perform in Singapore on Friday in the first of six shows in the Southeast Asian city-state.

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New Zealand vs Australia 1st T20: David and Marsh Lead Aus to Victory by 6 Wickets – Match Highlights

Catch the thrilling highlights of the New Zealand vs Australia 1st T20 clash where Mitchell Marsh and Tim David powered Australia to a remarkable 6-wicket triumph over New Zealand at Sky Stadium, Wellington. The match, held on February 21, 2024, witnessed an intense battle between the two cricketing giants.

Introduction:

In an electrifying showdown at Sky Stadium, Wellington, Australia’s captain, Mitchell Marsh, alongside Tim David, orchestrated a stunning victory over New Zealand in the 1st T20 International match of the series. Mitchell Marsh’s unbeaten 72 runs and his pivotal role in steering the Australian innings earned him the well-deserved ‘Player of the Match’ title.

Key Moments:

Australia’s Dominant Chase:

Chasing a challenging target of 216 runs, Australian batters displayed exceptional resilience and determination. Despite early setbacks, including the dismissals of Travis Head and David Warner, Mitchell Marsh anchored the innings with remarkable support from Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis. Tim David’s unbeaten 31 runs proved crucial in securing Australia’s victory.

New Zealand’s Resilient Bowling Efforts:

Although New Zealand’s bowlers, led by Mitchell Santner, showcased commendable performances, they were unable to contain Australia’s relentless pursuit of the target. Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne also made significant contributions with crucial breakthroughs.

High-scoring Duel:

The clash between New Zealand and Australia promised high-octane action right from the outset. With both teams boasting formidable lineups, the match lived up to expectations, delivering thrilling moments for cricket enthusiasts worldwide.

Upcoming Encounters:

As the T20 World Cup draws near, both teams are keen to fine-tune their strategies and solidify their positions in the international arena. With the series finely poised, the subsequent matches are expected to be equally riveting, setting the stage for an enthralling showdown between the cricketing powerhouses.

Conclusion:

The New Zealand vs Australia 1st T20 encounter showcased the essence of T20 cricket, combining skill, strategy, and sheer determination. As the series progresses, anticipation mounts, promising fans an exhilarating spectacle on the cricket field.

Playing XIs:

New Zealand XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Mitch Santner (c), Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson

Australia XI:

Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh (c), Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Matt Short, Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

21 Feb 2024, 03:28:20 PM IST

New Zealand vs Australia Live Score Updates, 1st T20: Nz vs Aus, Final scorecard

New Zealand Batting:

Rachin Ravindra 68
Devon Conway 63
Finn Allen 32

Australia Bowling:

Mitchell Marsh 1/21(3)
Mitchell Starc 1/39(4)
Pat Cummins 1/43(4)

Australia Batting:

Mitchell Marsh 72*
David Warner 32
Tim David 31*
Glenn Maxwell 25

New Zealand Bowling:

Mitchell Santner 2/42(4)
Lockie Ferguson 1/23(4)
Adam Milne 1/53(4)

Julian Assange appeals in ‘most important press freedom case in the world’ | Freedom of the Press News

London’s High Court has scheduled two days of hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday to decide whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may appeal a United States request for extradition to stand trial on espionage charges.

Those charges carry maximum penalties of 175 years, but the real danger, says Assange’s wife Stella, is that he may suffer an inadvertent death penalty instead.

“His health is in decline, physically and mentally,” Stella Assange recently told reporters. “His life is at risk every single day he stays in prison, and if he’s extradited, he will die.”

If Wednesday’s decision goes against Assange, his legal team plans to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights – though a favourable ruling there may not come in time to stop an extradition.

A British judge agreed in January 2021, ruling he should not be extradited to the US because he was likely to commit suicide in near total isolation.

“I find that the mental condition of Mr. Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America,” judge Vanessa Baraitser said.

But the US has continued to press for his extradition.

The 17 charges of espionage from a district court in East Virginia stem from Assange’s publication in 2010 of hundreds of thousands of pages of classified US military documents on his website, WikiLeaks.

US prosecutors say Assange conspired with US intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to hack the Pentagon’s servers to retrieve the documents.

The files, widely reported in Western media, revealed evidence of what many consider to be war crimes committed by US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. They include video of a 2007 Apache helicopter attack in Baghdad that killed 11 people, including two Reuters journalists.

‘The most important press freedom case in the world’

Since it came to prominence in 2010, Wikileaks has become a repository for documentary evidence uncovered by government or corporate whistleblowers.

In 2013, Edward Snowden, a contractor with the US National Security Agency, leaked documents to WikiLeaks revealing that the NSA had installed digital stovepipes in the servers of email providers, and was secretly filtering private correspondence.

Three years later, millions of documents were leaked from the Panamanian offshore law firm Mossack Fonseca, revealing that corporations and public officials had set up offshore companies to evade taxes and hide money that could be used for illicit purposes.

Snowden called Assange’s case “the most important press freedom case in the world” on X, formerly Twitter, and legal experts agree.

“This case is the first in which the US government has relied on the 1917 Espionage Act as the basis for the prosecution of a publisher,” Jameel Jaffer, a professor of law and journalism at Columbia University, told Al Jazeera.

“A successful prosecution of Assange on the basis of this indictment would criminalise a great deal of the investigative journalism that is absolutely crucial to democracy,” Jaffer said, including cultivating sources, communicating with them confidentially, soliciting information from them, protecting their identities from disclosure, and publishing classified information.

“I really can’t imagine why the Biden administration would want this dangerous, short-sighted prosecution to be part of its legacy. The Justice Department should drop the Espionage Act charges, which should never have been filed in the first place.”

Although the leak happened in 2010, Assange was not prosecuted by the administration of Barack Obama, then in power.

The prosecution came from the administration of Donald Trump eight years later, and US President Joe Biden seems to be doubling down on it.

Stella Assange argued that her husband acted as a publisher in posting information beneficial to the public, and publishers have customarily not been prosecuted for doing their job.

“Julian has been indicted for receiving, possessing and communicating information to the public of evidence of war crimes committed by the US government,” Stella Assange said. “Reporting a crime is never a crime.”

But US prosecutors say he was not merely the receiver of information.

“Assange agreed to assist Manning in cracking a password stored on United States Department of Defence computers,” his indictment says. Helping to hack the Pentagon’s servers was a crime of commission that also put US intelligence sources at risk and “could be used to the injury of the United States”, said prosecutors.

‘He’s suffered enough’

In addition to upholding fundamental press freedoms, Assange’s friends and family have argued that he should be released from the charges on humanitarian grounds.

Assange has already spent seven years in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he sought asylum, and since 2019 has been in London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison.

Assange’s allies consider that his 11 years of imprisonment amount to punishment enough.

WikiLeaks editor Kristinn Hrafnsson called it “punishment through process”.

“It is obviously a deliberate attempt to wear him down to punish him by taking this long,” Hrafnsson recently told reporters.

Julian and Stella Assange have two sons conceived while he lived in the Ecuadorean embassy, who have only met their father behind bars.

The government of Assange’s native Australia has also asked for a rapid conclusion to the gruelling legal process.

On February 14, the federal parliament in Canberra passed a resolution supporting that Assange’s 2010 leak had “revealed shocking evidence of misconduct by the USA” and underlining “the importance of the UK and USA bringing the matter to a close so that Mr Assange can return home to his family in Australia”.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pointed out that the resolution had the support of diverse political forces that “would have a range of views about the merits of Mr Julian Assange’s actions”.

Yet, he said, “they have come to the common view … that enough is enough and that it is time for this to be brought to a close”.

Australia “has sought to advance that position by making appropriate diplomatic representations,” Donald Rothwell, a professor of international law at the Australian National University, told Al Jazeera. “However, its ability to advance that is limited by the fact that legally and politically the matter really rests with the UK and US.”

The US also pursues Snowden under the 1917 Espionage Act, but “because he is currently a Russian citizen and living in Russia he is effectively protected from US prosecution because Russia will not extradite him,” said Rothwell.

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Australia plans to build biggest navy since World War II | Military News

Defence minister says the $7.25bn plan will increase Australian navy’s surface combatant fleet to 26 from 11.

Australia has announced a decade-long plan to double its fleet of warships and boost its defence spending by an additional 11.1 billion Australian dollars ($7.25bn).

Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Tuesday that the government’s plan would eventually increase the navy’s surface combatant fleet to 26 from 11, the largest since the end of World War II.

He cited concerns over rising geopolitical tensions as competition between the United States, its allies and China heats up in the Asia Pacific region.

Under the new plan, Marles said Australia will get six Hunter class frigates, 11 general-purpose frigates, three air warfare destroyers and six state-of-the-art surface warships that do not need to be crewed.

At least some of the fleet will be armed with Tomahawk missiles capable of long-range strikes on targets deep inside enemy territory – a major deterrent capability.

“It is the largest fleet that we will have since the end of the second world war,” Marles told reporters.

“What is critically important to understand is that as we look forward, with an uncertain world in terms of great power contest, we’ll have a dramatically different capability in the mid-2030s to what we have now,” he added.

“That is what we are planning for and that is what we are building.”

The minister said the large optionally crewed surface vessels (LSOV), which can be operated remotely and are being developed by the US, will significantly boost the navy’s long-range strike capacity.

The vessels could be inducted by the mid-2030s.

Australia will also take steps to accelerate the procurement of 11 general-purpose frigates to replace the ageing ANZAC-class ships, with the first three to be built overseas and expected to enter service before 2030.

“This decision we are making right now sees a significant increase in defence spending … and it is needed, given the complexity of the strategic circumstances that our country faces,” Marles said.

The announcement – which comes amid Australian plans to procure at least three US-designed nuclear-powered submarines – would see Canberra increase its defence spending to 2.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), above the 2 percent target set by its NATO allies.

Experts say that taken together, Australia is poised to develop significant naval capability.

But the country’s major defence projects have long been beset by cost overruns, government U-turns, policy changes and project plans that make more sense for local job creation than defence.

Michael Shoebridge, a former senior security official, told the AFP news agency that the government must overcome past errors and had “no more time to waste” as competition in the region heats up.

Shoebridge said there must be a trimmed-down procurement process, otherwise, it will be a “familiar path that leads to delays, construction troubles, cost blowouts – and at the end, ships that get into service too late with systems that are overtaken by events and technological change”.

Wooing specific electorates with the promise of “continuous naval shipbuilding” cannot be the priority, he said.

“This will just get in the way of the actual priority: reversing the collapse of our navy’s fleet.”

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Which countries have stopped supplying arms to Israel? | Israel War on Gaza News

As civilian casualties continue to mount in Gaza, global calls for countries to halt arms sales to Israel grow.

The United States Senate has approved a bill committing $14bn to support Israel’s war on Gaza this week.

Even before the start of the war last October, the US firmly supported Israel with the supply of military equipment, contributing $3bn annually in military aid. Many other countries provide military support to Israel via arms sales.

Civilian casualties continue to mount in Gaza – currently standing at more than 28,000 dead with thousands more trapped under rubble and presumed dead in just four months of bombardment and ground invasions. The rising death toll is prompting international condemnation from humanitarian and civil society groups in the form of statements, protests and lawsuits filed against countries alleged to be providing military support to Israel. Some countries are responding to this pressure.

On Monday, the European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, commented on US President Joe Biden’s description of Israel’s response to the October 7 Hamas attacks as “over the top”. “Well, if you believe that too many people are being killed, maybe you should provide less arms in order to prevent so many people being killed,” Borrell told reporters.

So which countries continue to send weapons to Israel and which are taking steps to suspend supply?

Who supplies arms to Israel?

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s arms transfers database, 68 percent of Israel’s weapons imports between 2013 and 2022 came from the US.

The US military also stockpiles weapons on the ground in Israel, presumably for use by the US army itself. However, the US has allowed Israel to make use of some of these supplies during the Gaza war.

Besides the US, Israel also receives military imports from other nations.

  • Weapons imported from Germany make up 28 percent of Israel’s military imports. Germany’s military exports rose nearly tenfold in 2023 compared with 2022 after it increased sales to Israel in November, according to figures from the German Economic Ministry. Germany primarily supplies Israel with components for air defence systems and communications equipment, according to the German press agency dpa.
  • The United Kingdom has licensed at least 474 million pounds ($594m) in military exports to Israel since 2015, Human Rights Watch reported in December 2023. These exports included aircraft, missiles, tanks, technology and ammunition, including components for the F-35 stealth bomber used in Gaza.
  • In Canada, dozens of civil society groups have recently urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to end arms exports to Israel. The government says it does not send full weapons systems to Israel, but these civil society groups claim it is downplaying the amount of military support it provides. “Canadian companies have exported over $84m [114 million Canadian dollars] in military goods to Israel since 2015,” said Michael Bueckert, vice president of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, an advocacy group, adding that the government has continued to approve arms exports since the start of the war.
  • Australia’s foreign affairs minister has said the country has not provided weapons to Israel since the start of the war. However, The Australian Greens party’s defence spokesperson, David Shoebridge, has asked for the government to be more transparent about exactly what items have been exported to Israel, adding that the country has one of the most secretive weapons export systems in the world. Amnesty International has also called on Australia to halt arms sales to Israel and claims the country has approved 322 defence exports to Israel over the past six years.
  • In France, a pro-Palestine demonstration on February 7 called on French companies, including Dassault Aviation, to stop selling arms to Israel. Demonstrators said, according to the Anadolu news agency, “all French companies that sell arms to the Tel Aviv administration are complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza”.
Demonstrators condemn Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, near the southern port city of Limassol, Cyprus, January 14, 2024. Lawyers say weapons sales to Israel could render other countries ‘complicit’ in war crimes in Gaza [Petros Karadjias/AP Photo]

Which countries are stopping arms supplies to Israel?

  • In the Netherlands, a court on Monday gave the government one week to block all exports of parts for the F-35 fighter jet, which Israel is using to bomb the Gaza Strip. The ruling was the result of a lawsuit filed by Dutch humanitarian organisations Oxfam Novib, PAX Netherlands Peace Movement Foundation and The Rights Forum against the government. The concerns laid out in this lawsuit overlap with the issues the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is considering in South Africa’s apartheid case against Israel. “It is undeniable that there is a clear risk the exported F-35 parts are used in serious violations of international humanitarian law,” the court ruling stated.
  • In Belgium, a regional government said it suspended two licences for the export of gunpowder to Israel on February 6. It was reported that the regional government cited the ICJ interim ruling which found Israel may “plausibly” be committing genocide in Gaza.
  • Japanese company Itochu Corporation announced on February 5 that it will end its partnership with Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems by the end of February. Itochu chief financial officer Tsuyoshi Hachimura told a news conference that the suspension of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Elbit Systems was based on a request from Japan’s Ministry of Defense and “not in any way related to the current conflict between Israel and Palestine”. However, he added: “Taking into consideration the International Court of Justice’s order on January 26, and that the Japanese government supports the role of the Court, we have already suspended new activities related to the MOU, and plan to end the MOU by the end of February.”
  • Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on January 20 that Italy had suspended all shipments of weapons systems or military material to Israel since the outbreak of the war on October 7. This was in response to Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein’s calls on the government to halt the supply of weapons to Israel.
  • Spain’s foreign minister said in January the country has not sold any arms to Israel since the start of the war and that there is now an embargo on weapon sales. However, on Monday, the Spanish daily El Diario released a report showing that Spain had exported ammunition worth about $1.1m to Israel in November. Spain’s secretary of state for trade justified selling the ammo, telling El Diario that the “material was for tests or demonstrations” and “corresponds to licences granted before October 7″.

What role has the ICJ ruling played in halting arms sales?

In its interim ruling on South Africa’s genocide case against Israel on January 26, the ICJ stated that Israel is “plausibly” committing genocide in Gaza and ordered it to take “all measures within its power” to prevent acts that could amount to genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. This has spurred humanitarian organisations around the world to pressure their governments to halt sales of arms and military aid.

The ruling “goes beyond Israel” alone, said Raed Jarrar, advocacy director at Washington, DC-based think tank Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN). The interim ruling highlights the legal and political obligations of countries to prevent genocide. Advocates say weapons sales and military aid could be deemed to amount to complicity in genocide and be in violation of international law.

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Australian writer Yang Hengjun sentenced to death on China spy charges | Espionage News

Yang has been detained for five years on charges of espionage that he and Australia have rejected.

Australian writer Yang Hengjun, who was detained in China on espionage charges in 2019, has been handed a suspended death sentence by a court in Beijing.

The terms of the sentence mean Yang’s sentence could be commuted to life imprisonment for good behaviour.

“The Australian government is appalled by this outcome,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters as she confirmed the sentence, the SBS News outlet reported.

Wong said Canberra would be responding “in the strongest terms” including by summoning the Chinese ambassador.

“I want to acknowledge the acute distress that Dr Yang and his family will be feeling today, coming after years of uncertainty,” she said.

Yang, a 58-year-old blogger and pro-democracy activist, was arrested in January 2019 when he arrived at Guangzhou airport with his wife, and was accused of having “endangered national security with particularly serious harm to the country and the people”.

Yang, a Chinese-born Australian, has denied the charges against him, as have his friends and family. A previous Australian government described the writer’s detention as “unacceptable”.

On Monday, supporters reacted with dismay to the sentence,

“He is punished by the Chinese government for his criticism of human rights abuses in China and his advocacy for universal values such as human rights, democracy and the rule of law,” friend and colleague Feng Chongyi was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

Feng said Yang’s family, who were in court, had told him of the sentence.

Feng previously told Al Jazeera that Yang worked for the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) at the provincial level for 14 years and began writing spy novels as he became more frustrated with his work.

He moved to Australia in 2000 and five years later, began studying under Feng at the University of Technology Sydney, where he “transformed himself into a liberal”. At the time of his detention, he was working in New York.

Yang was put on trial in May 2021, having had limited access to lawyers. China has not revealed the exact charges against him or which country he is alleged to have been spying for.

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South Korea pull off heist to beat Australia 2-1 in Asian Cup 2023 | AFC Asian Cup News

The Taegeuk Warriors stage another late comeback to beat the Socceroos and keep their Asian Cup title hopes alive.

Al Wakrah, Qatar – South Korea have made it a habit of leaving it until the dying moments of stoppage time to make a comeback in their knockout games and progress to the next round at the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar.

They pulled off another heist to break Australian hearts and produce a stunning 2-1 comeback win in the quarterfinal at Al Janoub Stadium on Friday night.

It prompted Jurgen Klinsmann, the Koreans’ German coach, to joke that perhaps his team should start all matches with a 0-1 score.

“It’s not great to wait 120 minutes for a result, so maybe if we start a goal down we can get [a win] earlier,” Klinsmann told bemused reporters after the match.

It took South Korea 96 minutes to find a goal – scored by Hee-Chan Hwang from the penalty spot – that kept them alive in the tournament and another 15 to give their talismanic captain Heung-Min Son a chance to score a scintillating winner and stun Australia.

The Socceroos took the lead in the 42nd minute as Craig Goodwin latched onto a loose ball in front of the Korean goal to break the deadlock in a tight first half.

Once in the lead, the Australians put up a strong defensive display to keep the Taegeuk Warriors at bay deep into the second half.

As the night wore on, the temperature in Al Wakrah dropped to a chilly 14 degrees Celsius but the action on the field heated up as South Korea began attacking the Australian goal. It was similar to their late assault against Saudi Arabia that eventually produced an equaliser and gave them a win in a penalty shootout.

This time, the penalty came in the sixth minute of added time and brought them level. Once into extra time, the Koreans were controlling the game and Australia were barely able to keep up.

When South Korea won a free-kick on the edge of the Australian box in the 103rd minute, Son bent it into the corner to complete another stunning comeback.

The crowd, who had been chanting his name all night long, went into a wild celebration of relief, joy and disbelief.

Many of these fans arrived in Doha after a 10-hour overnight flight from Seoul and said it was too much to take for a second game in a row.

“They [the team] need to stop doing this to us now,” Kim Hyeseong, a South Korean fan, told Al Jazeera moments after the win was sealed.

“They pull off miracles because they never give up,” he said.

Klinsmann said he is aware of the expectations his team faces from the fans in the stadium and those back home.

“Sometimes the pressure blocks the players [mentally] in the beginning – but when we go down, we know we can only go forward from there,” the former World Cup winner said.

For fans like Leo Chan, it is more a case of having belief in the team. But he said they say make it hard for themselves and their supporters.

“I was about to leave the stadium moments before the penalty was awarded, but now I’m staying all the way until the final because these players are miracle-makers and will win it [the championship].”

(Al Jazeera)

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