Recess appointments: Can Trump bypass Senate to appoint Gaetz, other aides?
Throughout his business, media and political career, Donald Trump has demonstrated a willingness to break the norm. But the United States president-elect’s latest proposal to do away with the established processes used to appoint cabinet officials to his incoming administration poses grave risks to the rule of law in the country, experts say. Just days after his election victory this month, Trump on November 10 invoked a provision under the US Constitution that would allow him to appoint cabinet members without Senate confirmation. “Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner,” Trump wrote on social media, prompting all three contenders for the leadership role to to quickly say they would comply. The suggestion to use so-called “recess appointments” has sparked concern as Trump continues to roll out a list of controversial nominees to key positions within his government, including far-right firebrand Matt Gaetz as head of the US Justice Department. Bypassing the Senate would dilute the checks-and-balances system that provides Congress with oversight over the executive branch, analysts told Al Jazeera, while effectively giving Trump even more power at a time when Republicans hold “trifecta” control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives. “The selection of the cabinet is the primary way in which the president exercises power,” said David Froomkin, an assistant professor at the University of Houston Law Center who specialises in administrative law. “Eliminating the most important check on that power would massively empower the president.” Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner. Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more. This is… — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 10, 2024 A vestige of the past But what exactly is a recess appointment? The process dates back to the country’s early days, when the US Congress would be in recess for months at a time, usually during the summer. When lawmakers were gone and a vacancy occurred, the US Constitution allowed the president to appoint someone without confirmation, though only through the end of the next session of Congress, explained Gabe Neville, a senior adviser at the law firm Covington & Burling, which focuses on regulatory practices. “In the modern era, when Congress is in session most of the time, there have been some changes in how the process works and is used,” Neville said. Lawmakers are no longer travelling by stagecoach and rail, for example, so there is no longer a need for the president to fill vacancies on an emergency basis because Congress would not be meeting for months. But recess appointments have persisted, although not at the high-profile cabinet level. Former presidents have used the provision mostly to fast-track the approval of federal judges — but the authority technically applies to any appointee, including top cabinet members and Supreme Court justices. Former US President Bill Clinton made 139 recess appointments to full-time positions, for instance, and his successor George W Bush made 171. After that, President Barack Obama made 32 before a US Supreme Court decision in 2014 restricted the president’s ability to invoke the power to periods in which the Senate was in recess for at least 10 days. Wary to give the president too much power, Congress has in the past worked around the provision by calling what’s known as “pro forma” sessions, when no real work is being done, just to stop the president from using the authority. “So a member from Maryland or Virginia who lives close by would come in and call the House and Senate into session and then immediately adjourn for the day. But technically they’re in session that day,” Neville told Al Jazeera. But in theory, members of Congress could also decide to go on recess precisely in order to allow the president to make recess appointments — and Neville said there is an opportunity now, with Republicans in control of Congress and Trump in the White House, for GOP lawmakers to do that. “And we haven’t really seen that before,” he said. Sending a message Still, it remains unclear when — or even whether — Trump may invoke the recess appointment authority, or whether Congress would go into recess to allow him to do so. The new Congress will start on January 3, three weeks before the presidential inauguration, and Republican senators are planning to begin hearings on Trump’s cabinet nominees immediately. Should Trump appoint one of his nominees during a congressional recess, that person would only remain in office for the remaining duration of the two-year Congress. But by mentioning the provision, Trump – whom critics accuse of authoritarianism – is sending a message to lawmakers, even those from his own party, that he may have little patience for their pushback. “If the Senate goes along with Trump’s demand, it will be the first loud sound of the Constitution ripping,” Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, wrote in an op-ed. Nicholas Xenakis, a former chief counsel for late Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein who also works at the Covington & Burling law firm, told Al Jazeera that the president-elect may also be invoking the power as “leverage”. “Like, ‘Hey Senate, don’t make me use this power I have. Hurry up and confirm my nominees’,” he said. “[Opposition] parties often will be very slow to confirm nominees because they don’t support the president’s agenda,” Xenakis said, adding that such situations played out during Trump’s first term as well as during Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration. “So this may just be used as a way to push back on that,” he said. Avoid public scrutiny Still, with Republicans controlling the Senate, that sort of pushback is
Brazil arrests five suspects in alleged Lula assassination plot
Four G20 security guards reportedly among those arrested after murder bid mentioned for first time as part of coup probe. Five people have been arrested in Brazil for their suspected involvement in an alleged attempt to assassinate then President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his vice president in December 2022, according to police. The police said in a statement on Tuesday that most of those investigated in the alleged coup attempt are military personnel with special forces training. “A detailed operational plan called ‘Green and Yellow Dagger’ was identified, which would be executed on December 15, 2022, aimed at the murder of the elected candidates for president and vice president,” the statement said, in an apparent reference to the colours of the Brazilian flag. This was the first time in the alleged coup attempt investigation that federal police have mentioned a plot to kill Lula and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin. Federal police officers carried out five arrest warrants on Tuesday, the police said without providing any names. The four “were arrested in Rio [de Janeiro], where they were participating in the security operation for the G20 leaders meeting” on Monday, a federal police source told the AFP news agency, adding that a police officer was also taken into custody. Jair Bolsonaro Lula won the presidential election in October 2022, defeating the far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, and took office in January last year. Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings in Brasilia on January 8 last year. Several investigations have been opened into those events as well as other alleged plots to prevent Lula from taking office. A federal police investigation will conclude that Bolsonaro conspired to engineer the attempted coup after he lost the election, a source with direct knowledge of the investigations told the Reuters news agency in October. The probe is expected to finish its work this month. The Brazilian army monitored the federal operation against the coup plotters, which was carried out in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Goias, Amazonas and the Federal District. The police said the suspects under investigation had planned for an “Institutional Crisis Management Office” to be installed to manage problems arising from the coup. They also planned to seize and kill a Supreme Court justice if they succeeded, police said without naming the judge. Adblock test (Why?)
EU court starts hearing case over Hungary’s alleged anti-LGBTQ law
The EU alleges the Hungarian law undermines core human rights values while Budapest says it wants to protect children. The top court in the European Union has started hearing a case that marks a major confrontation between Hungary and the bloc over a law criticised as being anti-LGBTQ. A lawyer for the European Commission, which in December 2022 referred the case to the Court of Justice, told the tribunal on Tuesday that the legislation was a “massive and flagrant violation of several important EU rules”. “This is a frontal and serious attack on the rule of law and more generally on European society.” The Hungarian Child Protection Act is legislation approved by the Central European country in 2021 with the ostensible goal of safeguarding children from harm, including by imposing a zero-tolerance policy for convicted paedophiles. But it also puts restrictions on depictions of homosexuality and gender reassignment in media and educational content made for children under 18, prompting outrage from activists and many politicians in other EU countries who criticised the law for stigmatising LGBTQ people and equating same-sex relations to paedophilia. The European Parliament in April adopted a resolution that strongly condemned the law and alleges it works towards dismantling democracy and the rule of law in Hungary. Sixteen of the 27 member states of the bloc, including France and Germany, also joined in on the legal action taken against Budapest in what has been described as the largest human rights case in EU history. They believe the law is modelled after a similar piece of legislation enacted in Russia, which was declared unlawful by the European Court of Human Rights in 2017. In Hungary, bookstores and shops have received hefty fines for depicting blacklisted content after the government started implementing the legislation. The European Commission alleges the legislation violates core EU values on fighting discrimination and upholding human rights while undermining single market rules on services and audiovisual media. Budapest has dismissed the allegations, arguing that the law is meant to protect children and a referendum held on the subject favoured the legislation. If Hungary is found to be at fault by the Court of Justice, it could potentially be ordered to pay a large fine, or such a verdict could even lead to procedures that could suspend the country’s voting rights in EU meetings. Many EU countries have also been angered by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s close relations with Russia and delays in support for Ukraine since Moscow’s invasion of the country nearly three years ago. The EU has other legal proceedings under way against Hungary, including over its “sovereignty” and foreign influence law. Adblock test (Why?)
Opposition’s Abdullahi wins presidential election in breakaway Somaliland
‘Irro’ took over 60 percent of the vote having pledged to push efforts to gain international recognition for the region. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, leader of Somaliland’s opposition, has been elected president of the breakaway region of Somalia, according to reports. Abdullahi – also known as Irro – of the Waddani Party received close to 64 percent of the vote, beating the incumbent, President Muse Bihi Abdi of the Kulmiye Party, the Somaliland National Electoral Commission (NEC) said on Tuesday, according to local media and The Associated Press news agency. Voters in Somalia’s breakaway region cast their ballot last week in an election that was delayed for two years due to lack of funding and other reasons. Abdi, who was seeking a second term after seven years in office, trailed badly with about 35 percent of the vote. Both candidates had campaigned promising they would resuscitate an ailing economy and push efforts to gain international recognition for Somaliland. #BREAKING: Somaliland Electoral Commission announces Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi “Irro” as the winner of the presidential election with 63.92% of the vote, defeating Muse Bihi, who secured 34.81%. Three political parties—WADANI, KULMIYE, and KAAH—emerge as key players in the… pic.twitter.com/pNlbrIit5I — GAROWE ONLINE (@GaroweOnline) November 19, 2024 Somaliland, which declared independence in 1991 as Somalia descended into conflict, has built a stable political environment, in sharp contrast to Somalia’s security struggles. The self-proclaimed republic sustains its own government, currency and security structures. However, it is not recognised by any country in the world, restricting access to international finance and the ability of its six million people to travel. The government in the capital, Hargeisa, hopes to soon finalise a controversial deal that would grant neighbouring Ethiopia sea access. In return, Addis Ababa would provide an “in-depth assessment” of recognition. The deal aroused fury in Somalia, which views it as a violation of its sovereignty, and prompted fears of conflict. Ethiopia is a major contributor to a peacekeeping force in Somalia, fighting against armed groups there. But the agreement has drawn Somalia closer to Ethiopia’s historical rivals, Egypt and Eritrea. Somaliland is also optimistic that the incoming Trump administration will revisit the United States’s longstanding recognition of Mogadishu’s sovereignty over Somaliland. Several leading US Department of State officials who worked on Africa policy during Republican leader Donald Trump’s first term have publicly voiced support for recognising Somaliland. Adblock test (Why?)
Thousands protest as Maori rights march reaches New Zealand parliament
NewsFeed Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in front of New Zealand’s parliament as a march against proposed changes to Maori rights reached the capital. Al Jazeera’s Adrian Brown was at the scene. Published On 19 Nov 202419 Nov 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
US envoy Amos Hochstein arrives in Lebanon for ceasefire talks
Top Biden administration official visits Beirut hours after the Israeli military strikes the centre of the Lebanese capital. A senior United States envoy is visiting Lebanon for talks on a draft ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hezbollah as both sides continue to trade fire. Amos Hochstein landed in Beirut on Tuesday after Hezbollah and the Lebanese government reacted to the text “in a positive way,” but have “some comments on the content”, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reported from the Lebanese capital. The administration of US President Joe Biden is making a last-ditch attempt for a truce as fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli military has escalated. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pledged to continue to “systematically operate” against Hezbollah even if a ceasefire deal is reached. “This is a nonstarter for Lebanon. They see this as a violation of the country’s sovereignty,” Khodr said. An aide to the Lebanese parliament’s speaker, Nabih Berri, who has been endorsed by the Iran-aligned group to negotiate – told the Reuters news agency on Monday that both the Lebanese government and Hezbollah have agreed to the US proposal that was submitted in writing last week. He declined to outline the comments made by Lebanon on the draft but said they were presented in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which was adopted following the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006. The resolution calls on Hezbollah to pull back north of the Litani River – about 30km (18.6 miles) from the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese soil and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south of the country alongside United Nations peacekeepers. According to Khodr: “Lebanon’s message is – we are committed to 1701, nothing more.” During a visit to Beirut in October, Hochstein said commitments to the UN resolution were not enough as it failed to be implemented since its adoption 18 years ago. He called instead for a new enforcement mechanism to be set up. “Statements we hear from Lebanese officials is that there is cautious optimism, but the reality is that there are major sticking points, especially concerning a Western-led committee that the US wants to create to oversee the implementation of UN Resolution 1701 – this is not accepted by Lebanon,” Khodr said. On Tuesday, emergency workers were still recovering bodies from the rubble after the Israeli military’s latest attack on central Beirut that killed at least five people. Hezbollah, meanwhile, launched a missile at Tel Aviv, wounding seven people. “These attacks – as well as Israel’s ongoing ground offensive in southern Lebanon and the continued rocket fire from Hezbollah – are adding to scepticism of the prospects of a real ceasefire,” said Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Beirut. At least 3,516 people have been killed and 14,929 wounded in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since the Gaza war began last October. Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 43,922 Palestinians and wounded 103,898 since October 7, 2023. Adblock test (Why?)
At least five people killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon’s capital
Israeli strikes on densely populated central Beirut have killed at least five people in the third attack in two days in the middle of Lebanon’s capital, the Ministry of Public Health says. “The Israeli enemy strike on Zuqaq al-Blat in Beirut killed five people and injured 24,” a ministry statement said about Monday’s attack. The official National News Agency (NNA) said an apartment near a Shia Muslim place of worship was targeted. The building is located near the parliament, several embassies and a United Nations building. “A hostile drone targeted a residential apartment behind the Husseiniya of Zuqaq al-Blat in the capital Beirut, causing great damage,” the NNA said. The working-class district of Zuqaq al-Blat has welcomed many displaced people who fled Israeli strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs. Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Beirut, said the area that was hit is “very densely populated” and is packed with cafes. “At the moment, there is no indication who the target is,” Hashem said. The area was cordoned off by security forces as residents rushed to help with the rescue efforts. Monday’s attack took place several hundred metres away from the site of a strike on Sunday in the Mar Elias neighbourhood, which the Health Ministry said killed three people, including a woman. Israel has not commented on the strikes in central Beirut, but Hezbollah has confirmed that one air raid in the area killed its spokesman Mohammad Afif. That strike, also on Sunday, hit the Lebanese office of Syria’s ruling Baath Party, killing Afif and four members of his media team, Hezbollah said. The Health Ministry said seven people were killed in the attack. One killed in northern Israel Meanwhile, a woman was killed and 10 people were wounded on Monday when a rocket struck a building in a northern Israeli town, Israel’s ambulance service said. The rocket hit a multistorey building in the town of Shfaram. The Israeli military said Hezbollah had launched more than 100 projectiles towards Israel on Monday. “Interception attempts were made, and fallen projectiles were identified,” the military said. One such claimed interception left at least four people injured after falling shrapnel hit Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv. Earlier on Monday, an Israeli air strike targeted the main water facility in the southern port city of Tyre, killing two local officials and injuring two others. The attack severely damaged the facility, prompting the Tyre municipality to urge residents to ration their water use until repairs could be made, NNA said. Those killed in the attack included Samer Shaghri, a local elected official called a mukhtar, who handles residents’ administrative affairs, and Qassem Wehbi, the deputy mayor of Burj al-Shamali, a town east of Tyre. The strikes were carried out as a United States-backed proposal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is set to be discussed. A government minister close to Hezbollah said Lebanon will convey its “positive position” on the proposal this week. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally who is mediating for the group, is expected to meet with US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut on Tuesday. Labour Minister Mostafa Bayram, who met with Berri on Monday, said Hezbollah’s function “is to make sure the [Israeli] aggression fails to achieve its goals while negotiation is for the state and the government”. Since September 23, Israel has ramped up its air campaign in Lebanon and has sent in ground troops after almost a year of cross-border exchanges following Israel’s assault on Gaza. Lebanese authorities said more than 3,510 people have been killed since Hezbollah and Israel began exchanging fire in October last year. Most of the casualties have been recorded since September. Adblock test (Why?)
Al Jazeera 360 pushes back against Swedish claims film is ‘dangerous’
The team behind an Al Jazeera 360 documentary has rejected claims by the Swedish prime minister that a film about child protection laws in Europe is “dangerous”. The three-part investigative documentary Behind Closed Doors, produced by Al Jazeera 360 – a video-on-demand platform that is part of the Al Jazeera Media Network – follows families from various backgrounds and nationalities who have faced the traumatic experience of having their children forcibly removed by social authorities in Norway, Sweden, Germany and Luxembourg. On November 10, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson likened the documentary to the so-called LVU campaign, a misinformation campaign that gained traction on social media in 2022 that suggested Swedish authorities were kidnapping children from Muslim families. But Awad Joumaa, head of originals at Al Jazeera 360, said the attacks on the film were “misleading”. “Al Jazeera 360 emphasises that the series was developed to explore a complex social issue affecting families across northern Europe,” a statement from Al Jazeera 360 said. “Behind Closed Doors presents diverse families from various backgrounds and nationalities who have faced the traumatic experience of having their children forcibly removed by social authorities. In some cases, children were not only separated from their parents but were also split up and placed in different cities, leaving parents unaware of their children’s whereabouts and with no access to them.” SVT, Sweden’s national broadcaster, also criticised the documentary, saying that it omitted some details on the cases included in court documents. However, Joumaa said that was misleading, adding that both court documents and the reasons for the child removals were prominently displayed on the screen and that rulings or decisions that contradicted the families’ claims were shown, ensuring that the official perspective was presented alongside the families’ narratives. “This approach provided viewers with both perspectives, allowing them to form their own opinions,” he said. ‘Security consequences’ Swedish authorities declined to participate in the documentary, unlike those in Germany, which provided an official for comment. However, the Swedish reaction to the film has been vocal, with PM Kristersson writing on social media that Behind Closed Doors could be “dangerous for Sweden”. He also told the Swedish newspaper Expressen that it could lead to a heightened threat level against the country. Sofia Bard, who heads the Swedish Institute, which analyses Sweden’s image in the rest of the world, told SVT that the documentary could contribute to a negative image of Sweden and affect the country’s influence internationally. She also stated that it could have “security consequences”, referencing the LVU campaign and the Quran burnings that have occurred in the Nordic nation and led to anti-Sweden protests in several Muslim-majority countries last year. At the time, the Swedish Security Service (SAPO) raised its assessment of the level of threat against Sweden to four on a scale of one to five amid mounting international tension over the burning of copies of the Quran at demonstrations. Joumaa, however, says the Swedish reaction overlooks the film’s depth and the broader issues it seeks to examine. “The assertion that Behind Closed Doors poses a security threat to Sweden seems to be based solely on the opinion of one security analyst, who appears to have made a rapid assessment of the series, which actually spans three parts,” Joumaa said. “This claim overlooks the film’s depth and the broader issues it seeks to explore, focusing instead on a narrow perspective without fully engaging with the content.” He added that the production team made several attempts to involve Swedish authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, offering them a chance to present their viewpoint. While the ministry redirected the request to the responsible agency, the Ministry of Social Affairs rejected an interview request and chose not to cooperate. Joumaa added that the documentary did not attempt to influence its audience, and instead presented the evidence and expert opinions, leaving the judgement up to the viewer. “We are simply putting the arguments and the perspective and the issue on the table, and that whole point of free debate has been missed,” he said. To view part one of Behind Closed Doors (in Arabic), click here. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli strikes hit ‘component’ of Iran’s nuclear programme: Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country’s air attack on Iran last month hit “a component” of Tehran’s nuclear programme and degraded its defence and missile production capabilities. “There is a specific component in their nuclear programme that was hit in this attack,” Netanyahu said in a speech in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, on Monday without providing details on the element hit. “The programme itself and its ability to operate here have not yet been thwarted,” he added. On October 26, Israeli fighter jets launched three waves of strikes targeting Iranian military assets, weeks after Iran had fired about 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, saying its attack was in response to Israel’s killings of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in the southern suburbs of Beirut and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. At the time of Israel’s attack, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said the strikes “should not be exaggerated nor downplayed”. United States President Joe Biden said before the strikes took place that he would not support an attack on Iranian nuclear sites, which would open up the possibility of an even further escalation in the region. In addition to the claim of an attack on Iran’s nuclear programme, Netanyahu also said in Monday’s speech – which was interrupted by family members of Israeli captives held in Gaza – that three Russian-supplied S-300 surface-to-air missile defence batteries stationed near Tehran had been hit. Netanyahu said Russia had supplied four of the defence batteries to Iran and the other one had been destroyed during an exchange of direct attacks between Iran and Israel in April. Iran has not commented on the Israeli claims. Last week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, that his government was prepared to address concerns about its nuclear programme before US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January. Grossi said achieving “results” in nuclear talks with Iran was vital to avoid a new conflict in the region already inflamed by Israel’s wars on Gaza and Lebanon, stressing that Iranian nuclear installations “should not be attacked”. Stepping up sanctions Netanyahu gave his speech as the European Union and the United Kingdom on Monday expanded their sanctions against Iran over its alleged support for Russia’s war on Ukraine. In a move decried by Tehran, the EU said it will prohibit the export, transfer, supply or sale from the EU to Iran of components used to make missiles and drones. It also banned any transactions with ports “owned, operated or controlled” by sanctioned individuals and entities or otherwise used to supply Russia with drones, missiles, related technology and components. “This measure includes the access to facilities of the ports and locks, such as Amirabad and Anzali, and the provision of any services to vessels,” the EU said in a statement, referring to two Iranian ports on the Caspian Sea. As the bloc’s foreign ministers met in Brussels, it also adopted restrictive measures against Iran’s state-run shipping company IRISL, its director Mohammad Reza Khiabani and three Russian shipping firms accused of ferrying weapons across the Caspian Sea. Brussels had already imposed sanctions on prominent Iranian officials and entities, including airlines, accused of aiding Russia’s war effort. Acting in parallel, Britain also announced new sanctions against Iran, freezing the assets of IRISL as well as national airline Iran Air for allegedly transporting ballistic missiles and military supplies to Russia for use in Ukraine. The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office also said the Russian cargo ship Port Olya-3, sanctioned for carrying missiles from Iran to Russia, would not be allowed to enter any UK port. “Iran’s attempts to undermine global security are dangerous and unacceptable,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement in advance of announcing the sanctions at the United Nations Security Council. “Alongside our international partners, we were clear that any transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia would face a significant response.” The decision follows a previous round of sanctions against Iran and Russia that the UK announced in September alongside Germany and France. Before the new sanctions announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that the EU was using a “nonexistent missile pretext” to target its shipping lines. “There is no legal, logical or moral basis for such behaviour. If anything, it will only compel what it ostensibly seeks to prevent,” Araghchi wrote on X. Iran’s economy has been struggling under the weight of US sanctions imposed after Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from a landmark nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers in 2018. On Monday, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran would respond in due course. Adblock test (Why?)
Philippines, US sign military intelligence-sharing deal to counter China
The deal allows for classified information sharing that could benefit a US ally’s defence and streamlines the sale of certain classified technologies. The Philippines and the United States have signed a military intelligence-sharing deal, in a further deepening of security ties between the two defence treaty allies as they seek to counter a resurgent China. Secretary of Defense Gilberto Teodoro and his visiting US counterpart Lloyd Austin signed the agreement on Monday during a ceremony at the Department of National Defense (DND) in the Philippine capital, Manila. The deal, called the General Security of Military Information Agreement, allows for the sharing of classified information that could benefit a US ally’s national defence, and streamlines the sale of certain classified technologies, officials said. Austin’s visit is his fourth to the Southeast Asian country and likely his last before he relinquishes his post in January when former President Donald Trump returns to the White House. In a brief statement posted on X, Austin said the US and the Philippines are “committed to deepening our alliance, strengthening regional security, and upholding our shared values in the Indo-Pacific”. Teodoro did not make any remarks at the signing ceremony, but the DND said the deal was “a critical step to enhance information sharing and deepen interoperability between the Philippines and the US”. Security engagements between Manila and Washington have deepened under US President Joe Biden and his Philippine counterpart, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with both leaders eager to counter what they see as China’s aggressive policies in the South China Sea and near Taiwan. The two countries have a mutual defence treaty dating back to 1951, which could be invoked if either side came under attack, including in the South China Sea. In September, the Philippines also expressed interest in acquiring the US Typhon midrange missile system, which the US brought to the country for joint exercises earlier this year. In July, the US announced it would provide $500m in military funding to the Philippines. In 2023, Austin also visited the Philippines as the two countries announced a deal allowing US troops access to four more military bases in the country. China has brushed aside an international ruling that its claims regarding the South China Sea have no legal basis, and has deployed navy and coastguard vessels that Manila says harass its vessels and stop them from accessing some reefs and islands in the waters. This has led to violent confrontations that have resulted in injuries to Filipino personnel and damage to their vessels in the past 18 months. It has also led to concerns the US could be drawn into an armed conflict due to its defence treaty with the Philippines. Following the signing of the deal, Austin also held a meeting with Marcos at the Malacanang presidential palace. The DND said Austin is also due to visit the western island of Palawan on Tuesday for a meeting with officials of the Philippine forces responsible for patrolling the South China Sea. Adblock test (Why?)