Algeria's UN draft resolution calling for immediate ceasefire in Palestine was vetoed by United States during UN Security Council's 9552nd meeting on 20 February 2024....
Live Stream of the Proceedings of Wednesday, 21st February, 2024 (10th Sitting of the 1st Meeting of the 4th Session of the 8th Parliament), discussing the "Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021."...
FEBRUARY 8, 2024 (Columbus, Nebraska) — The Nebraska State Patrol is able to provide additional details on the Columbus Police Department officer-involved shooting that occurred Tuesday afternoon....
English translation of official press release by the Government of Nicaragua regarding the genocide in Palestine, 1 February 2024
PRESS RELEASE
PREVENT AND STOP THE GENOCIDE IN PALESTINE
The Government of Reconciliation and National Unity informs the people of Nicaragua and the international community that it has notified the governments of the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada of its decision to hold them responsible under international law for gross and systematic violations to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, international humanitarian law and customary law, including the law of occupation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in particular the Gaza Strip.
In this vein, in a note verbal sent to these governments, Nicaragua recalled that the facts and circumstances of the Israeli actions in and against the Palestinians led the International Court of Justice to conclude on 26 January 2024 “that at least some of the rights claimed by South Africa and for which it is seeking protection are plausible. This is the case with respect to the right of the Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide and related prohibited acts identified in Article III”.
Although the Order on Provisional Measures of the Court is not a judgment on the merits, nevertheless on the evidence publicly available, the Court found it plausible that the Genocide convention has been and is being violated by Israel. If genocide is plausibly occurring in the Gaza Strip in the judgment of the highest world Court, it cannot be otherwise in the judgment of the international community that is also dramatically aware of the same facts that led the Court to that conclusion.
The obligation to prevent genocide arises and begins when there is a risk of it occurring; in fact, when it is plausible that it is occurring or might occur. This plausibility in now beyond doubt and dispute.
In that sense, Nicaragua has urged the governments of the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada to immediately halt the supply of arms, ammunitions, technology and/or components to Israel as it is plausible they might have been use to facilitate or commit violations of the Genocide Convention, including but not limited to acts of genocide, attempted genocide, complicity in genocide and conspiracy to commit genocide.
Unfortunately, the provision of military weapons and other assistance capable of being used in the genocide taking place has not stopped or diminished since the genocidal attacks of Israel on the Gaza Strip began in October 2023, and in some cases has indeed increased. Nicaragua has reminded these governments that “a State’s obligation to prevent, and the corresponding duty to act, arise at the instant that the State learns of, or should normally have learned of, the existence of a serious risk that genocide will be committed”.
Furthermore, Nicaragua has warned that the recent announcements by these governments on the suspension of the funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) further exposes that in the present scenario, the Governments of the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada continue to disregard their obligations, and to actively facilitate violations of the rules of international law by Israel to the severe and immediate prejudice of the Palestinian people, particularly Gazans, and the international community as a whole. In particular, Nicaragua has underscored that this act contributes to the collective punishment of the Palestinians and to the apparent objective of forcing the Palestinian population to leave the Occupied Palestinian Territories, particularly Gaza, and preventing the exercise of their right to self-determination.
Consequently, Nicaragua has given written notice to these governments that it will adopt all measures it considers appropriate in accordance with international law, including recourse to the International Court of Justice, to guarantee respect for these fundamental international texts and customary international law.
The Government of Reconciliation and National Unity reaffirms its firm commitment to the Rule of Law at the International Level and the peaceful settlement of disputes between States.
Managua, 1 February 2024
Government of Reconciliation and National Unity
Republic of Nicaragua
NOTA DE PRENSA
IMPEDIR Y DETENER EL GENOCIDIO EN PALESTINA
El Gobierno de Reconciliación y Unidad Nacional informa al Pueblo de Nicaragua y a la Comunidad Internacional que ha notificado a los gobiernos del Reino Unido, Alemania, Países Bajos y Canadá su decisión de responsabilizarlos conforme al Derecho Internacional por violaciones flagrantes y sistemáticas a la Convención para la Prevención y la Sanción del Delito de Genocidio, el Derecho Internacional Humanitario y el Derecho Consuetudinario, incluido el Derecho sobre la ocupación en los Territorios Palestinos Ocupados, en particular la Franja de Gaza.
En este sentido, en una nota verbal enviada a estos Gobiernos, Nicaragua recordó que los hechos y circunstancias de las acciones israelíes en y contra los palestinos llevaron a la Corte Internacional de Justicia a concluir el 26 de Enero de 2024 “que al menos algunos de los Derechos reclamados por Sudáfrica y para las cuales busca protección son plausibles. Este es el caso con respecto al derecho de los palestinos en Gaza a ser protegidos contra actos de genocidio y actos prohibidos relacionados identificados en el artículo III”.
Aunque la Orden sobre Medidas Provisionales de la Corte no es una sentencia sobre el fondo, sin embargo, basándose en las pruebas disponibles públicamente, la Corte consideró plausible que la Convención sobre Genocidio haya sido y esté siendo violada por Israel. Si a juicio del Tribunal Supremo del mundo es plausible que se esté produciendo un genocidio en la Franja de Gaza, no puede ser de otra manera a juicio de la comunidad internacional, que también es dramáticamente consciente de los mismos hechos que llevaron al Tribunal a esa conclusión.
La obligación de prevenir el genocidio surge y comienza cuando existe riesgo de que ocurra; de hecho, cuando es plausible que esté ocurriendo o pueda ocurrir. Esta probabilidad está ahora más allá de toda duda y controversia.
En ese sentido, Nicaragua ha instado a los Gobiernos del Reino Unido, Alemania, Países Bajos y Canadá a detener de inmediato el suministro de armas, municiones, tecnología y/o componentes a Israel, ya que es plausible que hayan sido utilizados para facilitar o cometer violaciones de la Convención sobre Genocidio, incluidos, entre otros, actos de genocidio, intento de genocidio, complicidad en genocidio y conspiración para cometer genocidio.
Lamentablemente, el suministro de armas militares y otro tipo de asistencia que pueda utilizarse en el genocidio que está teniendo lugar no se ha detenido ni disminuido desde que comenzaron los ataques genocidas de Israel contra la Franja de Gaza en octubre de 2023, y en algunos casos, de hecho, ha aumentado. Nicaragua ha recordado a estos gobiernos que “la obligación de un Estado de prevenir, y el correspondiente deber de actuar, surgen en el instante en que el Estado tiene conocimiento, o normalmente debería haber tenido conocimiento, de la existencia de un riesgo grave de que se cometa genocidio”.
Además, Nicaragua ha advertido que los recientes anuncios de estos gobiernos sobre la suspensión de los fondos a la Agencia de Obras Públicas y Socorro de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados de Palestina en el Cercano Oriente (UNRWA por sus siglas en inglés) demuestran aún más que en el escenario actual, los Gobiernos del Reino Unido, Alemania, los Países Bajos y Canadá continúan ignorando sus obligaciones y facilitando activamente las violaciones de las normas del Derecho Internacional por parte de Israel en perjuicio grave e inmediato del Pueblo Palestino, en particular de los habitantes de Gaza, y de la Comunidad Internacional en su conjunto. En especial, Nicaragua ha subrayado que este acto contribuye al castigo colectivo de los palestinos y al aparente objetivo de obligar a la población palestina a abandonar los Territorios Palestinos Ocupados, particularmente Gaza, e impedir el ejercicio de su Derecho a la Autodeterminación.
En consecuencia, Nicaragua ha notificado por escrito a estos gobiernos que adoptará todas las medidas que considere apropiadas de conformidad con el Derecho Internacional, incluido el recurso a la Corte Internacional de Justicia, para garantizar el respeto de estos textos internacionales fundamentales y del Derecho Internacional Consuetudinario.
El Gobierno de Reconciliación y Unidad Nacional reafirma su firme compromiso con el Estado de Derecho a Nivel Internacional y la solución pacífica de controversias entre Estados.
Managua, 1° de Febrero de 2024
Gobierno de Reconciliación y Unidad Nacional
República de Nicaragua
Snippet of Press Release from the Office of the Attorney General of Georgia, USA:
September 05, 2023
Carr: 61 Indicted in Fulton County in Atlanta Public Safety Training Center Investigation
Defendants charged with Racketeering, Domestic Terrorism
ATLANTA, GA – Attorney General Chris Carr today announced the indictment of 61 people in Fulton County following a multi-agency investigation into the violence that has occurred at the site of the future Atlanta Public Safety Training Center and other locations. All 61 defendants have been charged with Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Several of the defendants are also facing separate charges of Domestic Terrorism, Attempted Arson in the First Degree, and Money Laundering. As alleged in the indictment, the defendants are members of Defend the Atlanta Forest, an anarchist, anti-police, and anti-business extremist organization. They are alleged to have conspired together to prevent the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center by conducting, coordinating, and organizing acts of violence, intimidation, and property destruction in Fulton County, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and other states. Of the 61 defendants who have been indicted, only 13 are from Georgia.
“As this indictment shows, looking the other way when violence occurs is not an option in Georgia,” said Carr. “If you come to our state and shoot a police officer, throw Molotov cocktails at law enforcement, set fire to police vehicles, damage construction equipment, vandalize private homes and businesses, and terrorize their occupants, you can and will be held accountable. We will not waver when it comes to keeping people safe, enforcing the rule of law, and ensuring those who engage in criminal activity are vigorously pursued and aggressively prosecuted.”
This investigation was led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) in partnership with the Atlanta Police Department (APD), the Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS), the DeKalb County Police Department, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“The criminal acts of those named in this indictment have placed public safety personnel and members of the community in danger,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “This major step is a testament to the GBI’s commitment to protecting the citizens of Georgia. We will continue to work with the Georgia Attorney General’s Office and our local and federal partners to hold any person who seeks to harm the lives of others accountable.”
US President Joe Biden has angrily criticised an investigation that found he mishandled top secret files and said he struggled to recall key life events....
Several defenses are likely to create reasonable doubt as to such charges. For example, Mr. Biden could have found the classified Afghanistan documents at his Virginia home in 2017 and then forgotten about them soon after. This could convince some reasonable jurors that he did not retain them willfully. When Mr. Biden told his ghostwriter about finding ''all the classified stuff downstairs," his tone was matter-of-fact. For a person who had viewed classified documents nearly every day for eight years as vice president, including regularly in his home, finding classified documents at home less than a month after leaving office could have been an unremarkable and forgettable event. Notably, the classified Afghanistan documents did not come up again in Mr. Biden's dozens of hours of recorded conversations with the ghostwriter, or in his book. And the place where the Afghanistan documents were eventually found in Mr. Biden's Delaware garage-in a badly damaged box surrounded by household detritus-suggests the documents might have been forgotten.
In addition, Mr. Biden's memory was significantly limited, both during his recorded interviews with the ghostwriter in 2017, and in his interview with our office in 2023. And his cooperation with our investigation, including by reporting to the government that the Afghanistan documents were in his Delaware garage, will likely convince some jurors that he made an innocent mistake, rather than acting willfully-that is, with intent to break the law-as the statute requires.
But another inference the evidence permits is that Mr. Biden returned the binder of classified material to the personal aide because, after leaving office, Mr. Biden did not intend to retain any marked classified documents. As Mr. Biden said in his interview with our office, if he had found marked classified documents after the vice presidency, "I would have gotten rid of them. I would have gotten them back to their source.... I had no purpose for them, and I think it would be inappropriate for me to keep clearly classified documents." Some reasonable jurors may credit this statement and conclude that if Mr. Biden found the classified Afghanistan documents in the Virginia home, he forgot about them rather than willfully retaining them.
Mr. Biden's own words to Zwonitzer provide some support for this conclusion. In the recorded conversation when Mr. Biden told Zwonitzer he had "just found all the classified stuff downstairs," Mr. Biden's tone was remarkably casual. His sole reference to this discovery of classified documents was this brief aside. Mr. Biden did not sound surprised or concerned by the documents he referenced. While reasonable jurors could draw different conclusions from Mr. Biden's seeming nonchalance, one conclusion is that if Mr. Biden discovered classified documents, it simply was not significant to him and was something he could have quickly forgotten.
After all, the Afghanistan documents and the 2009 troop surge played no role in Promise Me, Dad, the book Mr. Biden wrote with Zwonitzer in early 2017. There is no reason to believe Mr. Biden intended to discuss the 2009 Afghanistan troop debate in his book, which, as explained in Chapter Five, covered his experiences in 2014 and 2015. In dozens of hours of recorded conversations with Zwonitzer in 2016 and 2017, when Mr. Biden talked about a vast array of topics, the Afghanistan documents never came up again. This may suggest that after February 16, 2017, the documents were simply not on Mr. Biden's mind.
Mr. Biden's memory also appeared to have significant limitations-both at the time he spoke to Zwonitzer in 2017, as evidenced by their recorded conversations, and today, as evidenced by his recorded interview with our office. Mr. Biden's recorded conversations with Zwonitzer from 2017 are often painfully slow, with Mr. Biden struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries.
FEBRUARY 8, 2024 (Columbus, Nebraska) — The Nebraska State Patrol is able to provide additional details on the Columbus Police Department officer-involved shooting that occurred Tuesday afternoon.
At approximately 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 6, Columbus police officers were conducting a welfare check following a report of potential self-harm at a residence in the 3600 block of 39th Avenue in Columbus. Officers contacted the subject, a 17-year-old male, inside the residence. The subject was in possession of a knife.
During the encounter, a Columbus police officer discharged their duty weapon, striking the subject. Another officer deployed a taser during the incident. The subject succumbed to injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The subject has been identified as Chase Ditter, 17, of Columbus.
The Columbus Police Department has requested the Nebraska State Patrol to investigate the incident. The NSP Special Investigations Team is conducting the in-custody death investigation.
The Columbus Police Department has placed both officers involved in the incident on administrative leave. The NSP investigation remains ongoing.
Algeria's UN draft resolution on "the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question", S/2024/173 (20 February 2024) (documents.un.org)
Algeria's UN draft resolution calling for immediate ceasefire in Palestine was vetoed by United States during UN Security Council's 9552nd meeting on 20 February 2024....
Live Stream: Parliament of Ghana continues the Second Consideration Stage of "Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021" (21 February 2024) (www.youtube.com)
Live Stream of the Proceedings of Wednesday, 21st February, 2024 (10th Sitting of the 1st Meeting of the 4th Session of the 8th Parliament), discussing the "Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021."...
Sony Music Entertainment v. Cox Communications, Incorporated: US Court of Appeals reverses vicarious liability verdict and remand for a new trial on damages (20 February 2024) (storage.courtlistener.com)
Court docket: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/63148084/sony-music-entertainment-v-cox-communications-incorporated/...
US Senate Bill 1409: Kids Online Safety Act (www.congress.gov)
Summary:...
West Virginia, USA Legislature: Removing bona fide schools, public libraries, and museums from the list of exemptions from criminal liability relating to distribution and display to minor of obscene matter (www.wvlegislature.gov)
Bill status tracking link: https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=4654&year=2024&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill...
La Corte Constitucional del Ecuador declara la constitucionalidad de eutanasia, 05 de febrero de 2024 | The Constitutional Court of Ecuador deems euthanasia constitutional, 5 February 2024 (esacc.corteconstitucional.gob.ec) Spanish
Ficha | Court case files....
International Court of Justice: Nicaragua requests permission to intervene in the proceedings under Article 62 of the Statute (www.icj-cij.org)
Link to PDF of official press release in English....
Columbus Nebraska Police Department: New Information Released in Columbus-PD Office-Involved Shooting (8 February 2024) (www.facebook.com)
FEBRUARY 8, 2024 (Columbus, Nebraska) — The Nebraska State Patrol is able to provide additional details on the Columbus Police Department officer-involved shooting that occurred Tuesday afternoon....
Official Indictment of 61 People in Fulton County in Atlanta Public Safety Training Center Investigation (law.georgia.gov)
Excerpt:...
Gobierno de Nicaragua: Impedir y detener el genocidio en Palestina (www.midef.gob.ni)
NOTA DE PRENSA...
'My memory is fine' - Biden hits back at special counsel (www.bbc.com)
US President Joe Biden has angrily criticised an investigation that found he mishandled top secret files and said he struggled to recall key life events....
Report of the Special Counsel on the Investigation Into Unauthorized Removal, Retention, and Disclosure of Classified Documents Discovered at Locations Including the Penn Biden Center and the Delaware Private Residence of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (www.justice.gov)
Excerpt:...
17-year-old shot and killed by officer conducting welfare check (abcnews.go.com)