The US has called on Israel to be “fully transparent” over the Israeli strike on a UN school in Gaza that killed dozens of Palestinians.
Published On 7 Jun 2024
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Tag: united states
Widow of Beau Biden testifies about seeing revolver in Hunter Biden’s truck | Courts News
Federal prosecutors say US President Biden’s son was in the throes of a heavy crack addiction when he bought the gun.
Hunter Biden’s widowed sister-in-law has testified that she found his gun and threw it away out of fear of his spiralling drug addiction, potentially bolstering prosecutors’ case that President Joe Biden’s son broke a law barring illegal drug users from owning firearms.
Hallie Biden told jurors about the moment she found the revolver in his truck, describing how she put it into a leather pouch, stuffed it into a shopping bag and tossed it in a rubbish bin outside a market near her home.
“I panicked, and I wanted to get rid of them,” she testified about finding the gun and ammunition in the vehicle’s console in October 2018. “I didn’t want him to hurt himself, and I didn’t want my kids to find it and hurt themselves.”
The purchase of the Colt revolver by Hunter Biden – and Hallie Biden’s frenzied disposal of it – are central to the case against him. Federal prosecutors say the president’s son was in the throes of a heavy crack addiction when he bought the gun.
He has been charged with three felonies: lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user and illegally keeping the gun for 11 days.
Hunter Biden, who has pleaded not guilty, has said the Justice Department is bending to political pressure from Republicans and that he is being unfairly targeted.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden said in an interview with ABC that he would accept the jury’s verdict and ruled out a pardon for his son. Hunter Biden is the first child of a United States president to face a criminal trial.
The Delaware jury has heard testimony this week from witnesses including his ex-wife and a former girlfriend about the 54-year-old’s past prolific drug use, which he has publicly acknowledged.
Prosecutors did not wrap up their case on Thursday and said they planned to call two more witnesses on Friday. Hunter Biden’s lawyer said he could finish his case by the end of Monday.
Hunter Biden gun charges
Hallie Biden, who had a brief romantic relationship with Hunter after Beau Biden died in 2015, testified that from the time Hunter returned to Delaware from a 2018 trip to California until she threw his gun away, she did not see him using drugs. That time period included the day he bought the weapon.
Much of her testimony focused on October 23, 2018 – 11 days after he bought the gun and when she disposed of it. Hunter was staying with her and seemed exhausted. Asked by the prosecutor if it appeared that Hunter was using drugs around then, she said, “He could have been.”
As Hunter slept in her home, Hallie Biden went to check his car. She said she was hoping to help him get or stay sober, free of alcohol and cocaine. She said she found the remnants of crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia. She also found the gun Hunter had purchased in a box with a broken lock that kept it from fully closing. There was ammunition, too.
Hunter Biden watched expressionless as Hallie spoke. She told jurors that she found crack at her home and saw him using it. She said she was with him occasionally when he met dealers.
Jurors have also heard from the gun store clerk, who testified about how he explained a few options to Hunter Biden before he settled on the gun.
The clerk then watched as the customer filled out the firearms transaction record, a required document for the purchase of a gun, and saw him check off “no” to the question of whether he was “an unlawful user of or addicted to” marijuana, stimulants, narcotics or any other controlled substance.
The proceedings are unfolding after the collapse of a plea deal that would have resolved the gun charge and a separate tax case, and spared the Biden family the spectacle of a trial so close to the 2024 election.
The president’s sister, Valerie, was in court on Thursday. First Lady Jill Biden spent the first part of the week there before leaving for France. Allies worry about the toll the proceedings will take on the president, who is deeply concerned about the health and continued sobriety of his only living son.
If convicted, Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, although first-time offenders do not get anywhere near the maximum, and it is unclear whether the judge would sentence him to time in jail.
He also faces a separate trial in September on charges of failing to pay $1.4m in taxes.
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USA vs Pakistan: What are the five biggest upsets in T20 World Cup history? | ICC Men’s T20 World Cup News
After USA record a historic win over Pakistan, Al Jazeera lists the five major upsets in the tournament’s history.
USA have pulled off one of the biggest upsets in cricket’s history by beating Pakistan in their T20 World Cup 2024 encounter in Dallas.
The win, which came in a super over after scores were tied after the regulation 20 overs, sent shockwaves through the cricket world and led many experts to believe that cricket may finally take off in the land of baseball.
Here are the top five upsets – in order of their shock value – in the 17-year history of the T20 World Cup:
1. USA beat Pakistan: 2024
The co-hosts had never played Pakistan in any format of the game before Thursday’s match. Ranked 12 places below the 2009 champions, the USA went into the match riding on the wave of their win over Canada in their opening match of the tournament. Pakistan entered the tournament on the back of a series loss against England.
Despite the contrasting forms, not many experts would have predicted a team of recently-turned-professional cricketers would turn the tables on one of cricket’s powerhouses.
USA’s squad comprises cricketers who played in India, Pakistan, West Indies, South Africa and New Zealand until a few years ago. The country’s cricket infrastructure is not among the best, and the World Cup is being staged in the United States by the International Cricket Council itself.
None of that had a say on the calm and professional demeanour of the team USA players as they pulled off the shock in Dallas to launch the biggest cricket party in the USA.
2. Netherlands beat England: 2009
The first – and only – T20 World Cup opened at the home of cricket at London’s Lord’s Cricket Ground with hosts England taking on so-called minnows, the Netherlands.
It all seemed to be going nicely for England when they posted a score of 163, which was considered well above par in the early days of T20 cricket, and the Netherlands lost their first wicket in the first over. However, the Dutch consolidated in the middle overs and a 60-run partnership between Tom de Grooth and Peter Borren brought them a famous victory under the grey evening sky at Lord’s.
3. Nepal beat Afghanistan: 2014
Nepal were making their debut at the T20 World Cup and had already registered one win over Hong Kong. However, Afghanistan were a team on the rise with several squad members playing league cricket around the world.
The likes of Mohammad Shahzad, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi and Asghar Afghan were in the playing XI that was dismissed nine runs short of the target set by Paras Khadka’s Nepal.
4. Namibia beat Sri Lanka: 2022
While Namibia had been around on the associate cricket circuit for many years, for them to beat the 2014 T20 champions and 1996 50-over World Cup winners was a mean feat.
The Africans posted a fighting total of 163 and then produced a stunning bowling display to rattle Sri Lanka. The island nation were dismissed for 108 in 19 overs to set off the celebrations for Namibia.
5. Afghanistan beat West Indies: 2016
West Indies went into the 2016 tournament as one of the favourites, with T20 stars Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell and Daren Sammy in their line-up.
Samuel Badree left their spin-bowling attack as they restricted Afghanistan to 123, but the Afghan spinners had plans of their own. Rashid Khan and Nabi took two wickets apiece to send the 2012 reeling as Afghanistan completed a famous six-wicket win.
The West Indies went on to lift the trophy a few days later, making Afghanistan’s feat all the more incredible.
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US sanctions Palestinian group under decree used to target Israeli settlers | Israel-Palestine conflict News
Biden administration imposes penalties on West Bank-based Lions’ Den, accusing it of threatening ‘peace and stability’.
Washington, DC – The United States has imposed sanctions on a Palestinian group in the occupied West Bank based on a White House executive order previously used to penalise violent Israeli settlers.
The US on Thursday targeted the Lions’ Den, an armed group that emerged out of Nablus in 2022 and has claimed several attacks against Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.
“The United States condemns any and all acts of violence committed in the West Bank, whoever the perpetrators, and we will use the tools at our disposal to expose and hold accountable those who threaten peace and stability there,” the US Department of State said in a statement.
It cited several attacks attributed to Lions’ Den fighters dating back to October 2022.
The sanctions block the group’s assets in the US and largely prohibit American citizens from engaging in transitions with them.
The penalties were issued under Executive Order (EO) 14115, which set up a legal framework for US sanctions against individuals and entities “undermining peace, security and stability” in the West Bank.
When President Joe Biden issued the decree in February, it was largely seen as an effort to crack down on settler violence against Palestinians that had intensified since the outbreak of the war on Gaza.
But only a few private Israeli citizens have been sanctioned under the directive, as the Biden administration has resisted calls to penalise Israeli officials responsible for abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Earlier this week, Democratic US Senator Chris Van Hollen called on the Biden administration to sanction far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich under the same executive order.
“In my view, Smotrich should be subject to sanctions under this EO,” Van Hollen said.
The finance minister has withheld taxes owed to the Palestinian Authority and in March, he also declared 800 hectares (1,977 acres) in the occupied West Bank to be Israeli state land.
“You’ve got this person whose stated goal is for essentially Israel to take over the entire West Bank,” Van Hollen told the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank.
But Washington has been reluctant to take meaningful steps against Israel as Biden administration officials often pledge unwavering support to the US ally.
Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna said the Lions’ Den is a relatively small group, but it has grown in prominence in the West Bank amid the war on Gaza.
Hanna said the sanctions against the Palestinian group may be a “balancing act” against the penalties targeting settlers.
“It’s a way perhaps for the US to show even-handedness in terms of its dealings with all the groups in the region,” he said.
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US seeks to block Houthi revenues in possible threat to Yemen truce: Report | Houthis News
Latest pressure campaign comes as US says peace plan cannot move forward if Red Sea attacks persist, Bloomberg reports.
The United States and its allies are increasingly seeking to block revenues to Yemen’s Houthi group, a push that could jeapordise United Nations-led efforts to end the civil war in the country, Bloomberg News has reported.
According to the report published on Thursday, Washington is looking to block major parts of a UN peace plan that the warring parties in Yemen adopted in December unless the Houthis cease their attacks on international shipping lanes.
The UN roadmap includes $1.5bn in civil servant salaries by Riyadh to be paid in Houthi-controlled areas, Bloomberg reported, citing an unidentified source.
An anonymous Department of State official confirmed Washington’s position to Bloomberg, while still saying the US supports peace in Yemen.
The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and firing missiles and drones at Israeli targets in a show of support for Palestinians in Gaza, drawing anger from Washington.
The US and its allies have been bombing Houthi targets in Yemen since January, but the military campaign has not deterred Houthi attacks. The Houthis pledged to continue targeting Israel-linked ships as long as the war on Gaza, which has killed at least 36,654 Palestinians, goes on.
Most recently, on Thursday, the group said it targeted two vessels at Israel’s Haifa port.
Banks ordered closed in Houthi territory
In March 2015, Saudi Arabia led a regional military coalition that launched what would become a years-long offensive in support of the internationally recognised Yemeni government, against the Iran-allied Houthis who had taken over the Yemeni capital Sanaa.
The fighting, which set off a major humanitarian crisis had turned into a protracted conflict, with the Houthis staying in control in Sanaa and other major population centres, and the Saudi-backed government remaining in the southern city of Aden.
The warring parties agreed to a ceasefire in April 2022, which expired in October of that year. But the fighting has largely been paused amid diplomatic efforts to find a lasting resolution to the conflict, including the December UN roadmap.
The plan included the “implementation of a nationwide ceasefire, payment of public sector salaries, resuming oil exports, opening of roads in Taiz and other parts of Yemen” and the easing of remaining restrictions on Sanaa Airport and Hodeidah Port.
Still, tensions between the Houthis and the internationally recognised government have remained high, especially over economic issues. The US push to squeeze the Houthis’ finances risks exacerbating them further.
In January, the administration of President Joe Biden designated the Houthis as “global terrorists” over their Red Sea attacks, a move that enabled sweeping financial sanctions against the group.
The latest US effort comes as the Central Bank of Yemen, which remains under the Saudi-backed government’s control, moved to suspend operations at banks in Houthi-controlled areas, including Sanaa, according to Bloomberg.
The central bank’s governor cited failure to comply with orders for all financial institutions to move their headquarters to Aden.
The action is expected to stifle Houthi access to foreign currency and dry up the liquidity of the group. It was done with the support of the US and Western allies, Bloomberg reported, citing four people with direct knowledge of the situation.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi had called the move against Sanaa-based banks an “American effort for the benefit of Israel”, adding that the US is trying to “implicate” Saudi Arabia with that effort.
“It’s a dangerous game – a game of adding fuel to the fire,” Al-Houthi said last month.
The office of the UN’s special office to Yemen, led by Hans Grundberg, has repeatedly said the Houthi Red Sea attacks and “related international military responses in Yemen” threaten the fragile truce in Yemen.
After years of war, Yemen continues to face one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to the UN, with more than 18 million people in need of aid and more than 17 million food insecure. About 4.5 million people in the country remain displaced.
Meanwhile, stop-start payments of public sector salaries have hastened the collapse of healthcare, sanitation, water and education services, according to the UN.
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Rights advocates slam Biden’s ‘draconian’ asylum curbs at US-Mexico border | US-Mexico Border News
Immigrant rights advocates have slammed President Joe Biden’s new curbs on asylum at the United States-Mexico border, describing the policy as “the most draconian” move since the Democrat entered the White House in 2021.
During a news conference on Thursday, Azadeh Erfani, a senior policy analyst at the National Immigrant Justice Center, said Biden’s recent executive order violates both US and international law because it will send people with viable asylum claims back to harm.
“Any person, including families with children, who seeks asylum between US ports of entry” will be affected by the new regulations, Erfani said.
“This applies right now — in the middle of a global displacement crisis, the worst we’ve seen since World War II — and will decimate asylum access in the foreseeable future.”
Biden’s executive order, which came into effect in the early hours of Wednesday, allows his administration to stop processing asylum claims if the number of irregular crossings at the US-Mexico border surpasses an average of 2,500 per day for a week.
The order allows for certain exemptions, including for unaccompanied minors and people determined to be victims of human trafficking.
“This action will help us gain control of our border and restore order [to] the process,” Biden told reporters as he announced the measures.
But seeking asylum is a right under both US and international law — no matter how people enter US territory. Biden himself campaigned on a pledge to uphold the country’s “moral responsibility” at the border and enforce immigration laws with dignity.
In a 2019 social media post criticising his predecessor Donald Trump’s anti-immigration stance, Biden promised “not turn away those fleeing violence, war & poverty”.
Trump is fighting tooth & nail to deny those fleeing dangerous situations their right to seek asylum in our nation. We should uphold our moral responsibility & enforce our immigration laws with dignity—not turn away those fleeing violence, war, & poverty. https://t.co/1CVPP3sJo3
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 26, 2019
But as the number of migrants and asylum seekers trying to enter the US at the Mexico border skyrocketed last year, the Democratic president has been under pressure from Republicans to take a tougher stance on unauthorised crossings.
This week’s order comes five months before Biden is set to face off against Trump in November’s presidential election, a race that is expected to be close.
The executive order also coincides with a new rule from the Department of Homeland Security and the US Attorney General that also tightens asylum procedures.
The new rule implements three changes to existing asylum policy. Crucially, it scraps a requirement that US immigration officers must inform people of their right to seek asylum and ask whether they fear persecution, according to a fact sheet prepared by the American Immigration Council.
Instead, asylum seekers now need to express a fear of persecution themselves or inform US officers that they want to seek asylum, something advocates refer to as the “shout test”.
Only then would they get a “credible fear interview”, where asylum applicants are expected to demonstrate a need for protection.
The Biden administration’s new rule also increases the threshold that applicants need to meet during the interview to be eligible for asylum.
“As of this week, the Biden administration has allowed for these interviews to happen within as little as four hours of peoples’ entry [to the US], while raising the standard,” said Erfani at the National Immigrant Justice Center.
The purpose, Erfani said, is “for people to fail these screenings and get deported as fast as possible”.
Deadly risks
Human rights advocates across the US have warned that the executive order and the finalised rule will force asylum seekers back to dangerous situations in their home countries or in Mexican border towns.
Chelsea Sachau, the managing attorney for Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project’s Border Action Team, has worked with asylum seekers on the southern border in Arizona and said the rule would return people to “violence, danger and possibly death”.
“This rule will likely lead to vulnerable families being deported every day to small, remote towns in the [Mexican] state of Sonora that are ruled by cartels and have active violent conflicts occurring in them,” she said during Thursday’s news conference.
Rights groups have long documented the myriad risks migrants and asylum seekers face in Mexican border communities, including torture, sexual violence, extortion, kidnappings and killings.
Sachau also noted that the US port of entry known as Nogales is the only place for about 1,300km (800 miles) in Arizona where asylum seekers can get US immigration appointments through an app known as CBP One.
She said some of her clients have had to wait for seven or eight months, if not longer, for a CBP One appointment — and she warned that the new executive order could lead to even longer wait times.
“People will grow ever more desperate. We’ve seen [with] other border policies that, when people are forced into desperate circumstances, they will be forced to make heart-wrenching decisions,” Sachau said.
“They may feel they need to send their children ahead as unaccompanied minors for their own safety, or they may try to cross the border again — this time in more remote or more dangerous areas.”
Biden’s order, she added, won’t prevent people from taking such journeys in search of safety, but “will beget more border-crossing under more dangerous circumstances”.
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Veterans, war in Ukraine at centre of D-Day 80th anniversary ceremony | Conflict
“To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators, it’s simply unthinkable,” US President Joe Biden said at the 80th anniversary ceremony of the allied invasion of France, drawing comparisons between World War II and the present.
Published On 6 Jun 2024
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US weapons parts used in Israeli attack on Gaza school: Al Jazeera analysis | Israel-Palestine conflict News
Among the rubble of the United Nations-run al-Sardi school in central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp were the remnants of the weapons that killed at least 40 Palestinians.
The Israeli attack in the early hours of Thursday gave the displaced people sheltering in the school no prior warning. Fourteen children were killed, as well as nine women and at least 74 other people were wounded. The weapons used to carry out the attack – according to an Al Jazeera analysis of the fragments left behind – were US-made.
An inertial measurement unit from the missile, used to aid with precision targeting, was manufactured by Honeywell, an American conglomerate that specialises in the design and delivery of sensors and guidance devices that are used in a variety of military weapons.
Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification unit discovered that one of the fragments found in Nuseirat bore the manufacturer and category number HG1930BA06, tracing it back to Honeywell. HG1930 refers to the specific sensor manufactured by the company.
The same part was found after the Israeli bombing of a Palestinian home in Shujayea, Gaza in 2014. The two pieces, in the most recent and the 2014 bombing, have the same manufacturer part number inscribed on them.
“We see also other numbers like the MFR, HG 1930 and then BA 06. This is the manufacturer part number that provides more specific details about the component of the missiles,” Elijah Magnier, an independent military and political analyst, told Al Jazeera. “Now, if you look at the manufacturer identification … it is a format used by the aerospace and defence sector in the United States connected to Honeywell.”
“Honeywell is known for the supply of IMU in the various military applications, and particularly the guided missiles that it has been providing to the Israeli Air Force since the year 2000.”
Al Jazeera has reached out to Honeywell for comment, but has yet to receive a response.
Israeli attacks on UN spaces have become commonplace during Israel’s war on Gaza, which has now killed more than 36,000 Palestinians.
The United States has been criticised for its role in supporting Israel, and particularly its continued supply of weapons.
Major rights groups have repeatedly accused Israel of violating international law, and Israel is currently facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has also sought arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for their actions in Gaza.
In May, a US government report found possible Israeli violations of international law in Gaza, but stopped short of identifying the violations that would end its continuing military aid. US President Joe Biden has threatened to stop the supply of some offensive weapons to Israel if it continues its Rafah operation, but has not carried out the threat, despite Israel pressing on in the area, which lies in southern Gaza.
Central Gaza under attack
Central Gaza has most recently come under severe Israeli bombardment, which Palestinians have described as similar to the early days of the war.
The attack on al-Sardi school in Nuseirat is part of that assault.
“The bombardment came from here,” said Naim al-Dadah, a survivor of the attack.
“We were sleeping. The flying metal reached the roof on the other side and all these nets landed over there, on the other side. What happened to us is beyond anyone’s imagination.”
Other witnesses say the attack tore people to pieces. Survivors collected body parts, including those of many children, until the early hours of the morning. Weapon debris was scattered throughout shattered rooms and the blood-stained mattresses. Multiple rooms were targeted, though the building’s structure remained intact.
Israel’s Arabic language spokesperson Avichay Adraee, claimed the UN school was targeted because it housed a Hamas command post and fighters involved in the Palestinian group’s October 7 attack on Israel, which killed 1,139 people. He also claimed Israel took several steps to minimise the possibility of civilian casualties. The director of Hamas’s government media office, Ismail al-Thawabta, rejected Israel’s claims.
In April, the media outlet +972 Magazine reported that Israel uses an artificial intelligence-targeting system called Lavender in its Gaza-bombing campaign. The report quoted Israeli military officials who said that the system generates targets to kill. For low-level Hamas targets, the report said, the army was permitted to kill 15 to 20 civilians. An attack on a more senior Hamas official with the rank of battalion or brigade commander was used to justify the killing of more than 100 civilians.
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Preview: Pakistan vs USA at T20 World Cup – form, head-to-head, team news | ICC Men’s T20 World Cup News
Who: Pakistan vs USA
What: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Group A match
When: Thursday, June 6, 10:30am local time (15:30 GMT)
Where: Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas, US
How to follow: Al Jazeera’s live text coverage from 12:30 GMT
USA will look to carry the momentum of their win in the opening match of the T20 World Cup when they meet an out-of-form Pakistan side in their Group A match in Dallas.
The co-hosts romped home to a seven-wicket win over their neighbours Canada, thanks to a belligerent knock by Aaron Jones, and USA’s captain Monank Patel believes his side can cause an early upset in the tournament by beating Pakistan on Thursday.
“It’s T20 [cricket], once we have good 30-40 minutes on the field, we can take the game away [from Pakistan],” Patel told reporters in his pre-match news conference.
“We have a vision to qualify in the Super Eight [stage] and want to focus on one game at a time,” he said.
Good morning, Dallas! 🤩#TeamUSA is all set for their 2nd match of the @ICC @T20WorldCup! 💪🔥
🏏 USA 🆚 Pakistan
⏰ 8:30 AM PDT | 10:30 AM CDT | 11:30 AM EDT
📍 Dallas, Texas
📺 Willow#T20WorldCup | #WeAreUSACricket 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/0XXtxBw0bT— USA Cricket (@usacricket) June 6, 2024
The USA team comprises a mix of players, most of whom are of South Asian heritage. Jones, their hero in the first match, grew up in the Caribbean while they also have players who began their careers in South Africa and New Zealand.
Patel insists it is “good to have diversity” in the side but said they all come together when they plan for the USA.
USA will be wary of the challenge posed by the 2009 champions, especially their captain and star batter Babar Azam.
“Babar is a great batsman in all formats [of cricket] so his wicket will be really important,” Patel admitted.
USA’s strength lies in their experienced batting lineup but Patel said his side will face a stiff challenge from Pakistan’s pace attack, especially Mohammad Amir whom they will have to “tackle well.”
Amir, who is returning to a Pakistan World Cup squad after four years, said he wants to “chip in” with regular seamers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah.
“I’ve come back to a great dressing room and we have very clear plans for each player,” Amir said in Wednesday’s news conference.
The 32-year-old, who was part of Pakistan’s title-winning side in 2009, said the team has moved on from their recent T20 series loss against England and are ready to start the tournament with a win.
“In World Cups, there’s no margin for error so we are mentally and physically ready to win.”
Pitch and weather conditions
The tournament’s opening match was played in Dallas and both teams were able to score in the 190s, which will be a good sign for fans who have been left concerned after the low-scoring encounters in New York.
The weather forecast is clear and sunny for the day match at the Grand Prairie Stadium.
Head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the two sides in any format of cricket.
Form
Pakistan have had a mixed run going into the tournament, winning a T20 series away to Ireland but losing one against England last month.
USA will be brimming with confidence as they go into the match with a win in the bag and a 2-1 series win over Bangladesh last month.
Pakistan: L L W W L
USA: W L W W W
Pakistan team news
Pakistan will have to take a call on dropping experienced leg-spinner Shadab Khan to accommodate a four-man seam attack. They could also drop out-of-form wicketkeeper Azam Khan for top-order batter Saim Ayub.
Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
USA team news
USA are unlikely to tinker with the XI that brought them their first-ever World Cup win against Canada.
Squad: Monak Patel (captain), Shayan Jahangir, Andries Gous, Nitish Kumar, Steven Taylor, Harmeet Singh, Corey Anderson, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Jessy Singh, Saurabh Netravalkar, Nosthush Kenjige
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Hunter Biden’s ex-girlfriend details his crack cocaine addiction at trial | News
Jurors were told Biden would spend days in hotel rooms getting high in the months leading up to his 2018 gun purchase.
Hunter Biden’s former girlfriend has testified about his near-constant crack cocaine use at luxury hotels at the criminal trial where prosecutors are trying to prove that US President Joe Biden’s son lied about his addiction to illegally buy a gun.
Zoe Kestan told jurors that Hunter Biden would prepare crack at the ritzy Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles or spend days in hotel rooms getting high in the months leading up to his 2018 gun purchase.
“He would want to smoke as soon as he woke up,” Kestan told the court on Wednesday, as she described meetings with a “scary” drug dealer and hunting for instructions on the internet to cook powder cocaine into crack.
Kestan testified at the first trial of a US president’s child, where prosecutors are trying to prove that Hunter Biden knowingly lied about his drug use on screening paperwork when he bought a revolver in October 2018.
Kathleen Buhle, who divorced Hunter Biden in 2017, also testified for about 20 minutes to describe how she first discovered he was using drugs.
Prosecutors also said they plan to call Hallie Biden, the widow of Hunter’s late brother Beau.
Hunter Biden, 54, has pleaded not guilty to three felony charges accusing him of failing to disclose his use of illegal drugs when he bought the gun and of illegally possessing the weapon for 11 days.
Biden has publicly acknowledged his past drug use, including in his memoir. He told the judge in the case at a 2023 hearing that he had been clean since 2019.
Defence says no intent to deceive
The defence lawyer, Abbe Lowell, has countered that Hunter Biden was not using drugs at the time of the purchase and did not intend to deceive. Lowell pressed an FBI agent to acknowledge that prosecutors had evidence of Hunter’s addiction only before or after rather than during the time he owned the gun.
The trial follows another historic first – last week’s criminal conviction of Donald Trump, the first US president to be found guilty of a felony. Trump is the Republican challenger to Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the November 5 election.
Kestan also described a message from Hunter Biden in which he said a month after the October 2018 gun purchase that he might get sober but “I’ll always be an addict”.
The defence has worked to show that prosecutors have not presented much evidence that Hunter Biden was using drugs at the time he bought the gun.
Under questioning from Lowell, Kestan said she did not see him in the weeks before and after the gun purchase. She also acknowledged that when he described himself as always being an addict, he was using the language associated with people who are recovering from substance abuse.
Hunter Biden is charged with lying about his use of illegal drugs when he bought a Colt Cobra .38-calibre revolver and illegally possessing the weapon for 11 days in October 2018.
The trial comes after a plea deal that would have settled the case fell apart in July last year.
If convicted on all charges in the Delaware case, Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, though defendants generally receive shorter sentences, according to the US Department of Justice.
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