Month: July 2022

“He chose not to act,” said Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the Democratic-led committee.

The primetime hearing was told Mr Trump did not place a single call to law enforcement or national security staff.

He was motivated by “his selfish desire to stay in power”, the inquiry alleged.

On Thursday night, the House of Representatives select committee used its eighth hearing of the summer to draw a timeline of Mr Trump’s activities over 187 minutes on 6 January 2021 as a mob of his supporters raided Congress.

The panel is seeking to build a case that Mr Trump, a Republican, acted illegally in a bid to overturn his defeat by Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the November 2020 presidential election.

Mr Trump, who has been hinting he may run again for president in 2024, has dismissed the inquiry as a “kangaroo court” designed to distract Americans from the “disaster” of Democratic governance.

Amid the highest inflation in four decades, Mr Biden’s approval rating has fallen to the lowest level of any White House incumbent in the modern era at this stage in a presidency.

The hearing was told that former President Trump had watched coverage of the riot on Fox News in the private dining room at the White House for more than two-and-a-half hours.

Elaine Luria, a Virginia Democrat on the committee, said: “President Trump sat at his dining table and watched the attack on television while his senior-most staff, closest advisers and family members begged him to do what is expected of any American president.”

The lawmaker also said the chief White House photographer had wanted to take pictures during the historic event, but was told not to.

A former White House national security staffer, whose voice was obscured to conceal his identity, said officials in the executive mansion were “in a state of shock” over what was unfolding at the Capitol.

The committee also played parts of a videotaped testimony by former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who said he had pushed for a strong statement from the president condemning the onslaught.

“I said that people need to be told, there needs to be a public announcement, fast, that people need to leave the Capitol,” said Mr Cipollone.

The president’s children, Ivanka Trump and Don Jr, had also wanted him to call off the rioters, the committee heard.

But former press aide Sarah Matthews testified that an unnamed White House colleague had argued that if Mr Trump were to disavow the violence it would be “handing a win to the media”.

At 14:24 that day, Mr Trump sent a tweet attacking his Vice-President, Mike Pence, saying he “didn’t have the courage to” spurn his constitutional duty of certifying Mr Biden’s election win at Congress.

Ms Matthews said the post amounted to “pouring gasoline on the fire”. She and Matthew Pottinger, who was deputy national security adviser to the president, testified that that tweet had prompted them both to resign.

Three hours and seven minutes after the assault began, Mr Trump released a video at 16:17, recorded from the White House Rose Garden, in which he praised the rioters as “very special”, but asked them to disperse.

Bennie Thompson, chairman of the committee and a Mississippi Democrat, said in his opening remarks: “For 187 minutes on Jan 6, this man of unbridled destructive energy could not be moved.

“Not by his aides, not by his allies, not by the violent chants of rioters, or the desperate pleas of those facing down the mob. He could not be moved.”

The committee also aired a previously unseen video outtake of Mr Trump on 7 January repudiating the violence at the Capitol of the day before.

“I don’t want to say the election is over,” Mr Trump said during the recording as he apparently read from a script.

The panel has suggested there might be enough evidence to charge Mr Trump with such counts as obstructing an official proceeding of Congress, conspiracy to defraud the American people, or witness tampering.

Hundreds of troops and police commandos moved on the protesters outside the presidential offices in Colombo, hours before they were due to leave the area.

A BBC video journalist was beaten by the army and one soldier snatched his phone and deleted videos.

Nine people, including two who are injured, have been arrested by police.

It comes as Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as president, after ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country last week.

Mr Wickremesinghe – the former prime minister – is seen as deeply unpopular with the public, and has vowed tough action against demonstrators.

Sri Lanka has seen months of mass unrest over an economic crisis, and many blame the former government for mishandling the nation’s finances.

Protests had remained peaceful after Mr Wickremesinghe had been sworn into office on Wednesday. Despite deep distrust, many demonstrators had said they would give him a chance to lead the country out of its economic crisis.

In remarks after his inauguration, he said any attempt to topple the government or occupy government buildings was not “not democracy, it is against the law”.

On Friday morning, security forces moved in on the protest camp and reclaimed the building from demonstrators, who had earlier pledged to hand the building back.

Police described the incident as a “special operation to take [back] control of the presidential secretariat”.

When asked about the attack on the BBC journalist, one police spokesman said he was unaware of the incident.

The raid took place in the early hours of Friday, at around 01:00 local time (19:30 GMT Thursday). Security forces later completely sealed off a section of the road leading to the site.

When we heard that troops might be raiding the anti-government protest site in Colombo after midnight, we went to the spot just in front of the Sri Lankan president’s office.

Soon, hundreds of heavily armed soldiers and police commandos with riot gear descended from two directions, their faces covered.

When activists raised objections to their presence, the security personnel marched on and became aggressive. The protesters were pushed back.

Within seconds, we saw soldiers shouting, dismantling and destroying make-shift tents and other items on the pavement. Troops also moved into the president’s office which was stormed by huge crowds last week.

Activists had earlier said they would hand over the building on Friday afternoon. As we followed the soldiers, we could see they were clearing everything in their way.

The protesters were pushed up to the designated protest site less than 100m away and steel barricades were set up to stop the activists.

When we were returning from the area, a man in civilian clothes, surrounded by troops, shouted at my colleague and said he wanted to delete the videos from his phone. Within seconds the man punched my colleague and snatched his phone.

Though I explained to them we were journalists and simply doing our job, they wouldn’t listen. My colleague was attacked further and we raised strong objections. The mic of another BBC colleague was taken and thrown away.

The phone was returned after the videos were deleted from the device. Another army officer intervened and let us go.

My colleague was shaken but was able to walk back to the hotel, a few hundred metres away.

The BBC tried to get a response from the military and police on the attack, but no-one answered our calls. A state of emergency declared last week is still in place.

The government’s violence against protesters has already been criticised by civil and legal groups.

“Unnecessary use of brute force will not help this country and its international image,” said the nation’s Bar Association leader, Saliya Peiris in a statement.

The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Sarah Hulton, also expressed concerns about the reports from the protest site.

“We have made clear the importance of the right to peaceful protest,” she tweeted.

Sri Lanka has been wracked with protests for months because the country is effectively bankrupt and facing acute shortages of food, fuel and other basic supplies.

The country is currently in a state of emergency, which gives police and military the power to arrest and detain people without warrants.

It also allows for the detention of people without proof or the presumption of innocence, and severely restricts fundamental rights such as the freedom of movement and expression.

The firm owns the Azovstal plant that became the last holdout of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians during the devastation of the city of Mariupol.

Chief executive Yuriy Ryzhenkov said steel was being transferred to Russia and sold on, some of which had been bound for customers in the UK.

The Kremlin has not commented.

Metinvest is headquartered in Mariupol, a centre for trade and manufacturing, which after almost three months of relentless assault, fell to Russia in May.

Mr Ryzhenkov said 300 employees and 200 employees’ relatives were killed in the assault on the Azovstal plant, which together with its sister plant Ilyich accounted for 40% of all Ukraine steel production.

Thousands of tonnes of steel had been paid for by European customers, including some in the UK.

He said that public sources and the company’s own informants reported the steel was being transferred to Russia and sold in internal markets or to countries in Africa and Asia.

“What they’re doing is basically looting. They’re stealing not only our products, but also some of those products already belong to the European customers. So basically, they’re not only stealing from us, they’re stealing from the Europeans as well,” Mr Ryzhenkov told the BBC.

He said the company was documenting as much of the theft as possible and was preparing to take future legal action.

“At some point in time, the Russians will be facing not only the international courts, but also the criminal courts. And we will be going after them with anything we have.”

The BBC has approached the Russian Ministry of Defence for comment, but it has not responded to the accusations.

Prof Marko Milanovich, an expert on international law at the University of Reading, says there are a number of options to pursue a case, but prospects for success are less certain.

“Whichever legal options Metinvest chooses, it’s a very difficult process and whilst looting is unfortunately quite common in conflict, suing the looting state and obtaining compensation is very, very rare indeed,” he told the BBC.

“However, they might want symbolic satisfaction more than the money, and labelling Russia as a law breaker would be a big deal.”

Last month, the BBC’s Reality Check team tracked where Russia is taking grain stolen from Ukraine, following mounting evidence that Russian forces in occupied areas have been steeling produce from local farmers and shipping it out of the country.

Like many Ukrainian companies, Metinvest has become a part-military, part-humanitarian organisation. Mr Ryzhenkov said his steel workers had become as important as soldiers to the Ukrainian war effort.

“Our company is making bulletproof vests, we provide steel for underground bunkers, we provide steel for armoured vehicles. That’s why the people working in the steel mills are as important to Ukrainian victory as the fighters in the frontline.”

Although the Azovstal plant was virtually destroyed in the Russian siege, he said he was confident the day would come when it would be a Ukrainian-owned facility again.

“I’m positive. The way I see it Russia has already lost this war and it’s just a matter of time when they realise it. The Russians don’t need Mariupol, they don’t need Donbas. They either need all of Ukraine or nothing, which means that even if they stop now, Ukraine will take it back. It’s just a matter of time.”

But wouldn’t that require a major military offensive by stretched Ukrainian forces?

“Was there a big offensive when Germany reunited with East Germany? There are several ways in which Ukraine can take it back. One of the ways is a big military offensive, another way is that Russia will just have to get out because of some internal things in Russia. Or finally, there is a third way that in some point in history will just be reunited.”

Mr Ryzhenkov said the siege of Azovstal would be remembered as one of the defining moments of this war.

“It is a tragedy for the Ukrainian steel industry. It is a tragedy for the people of Mariupol. But at the same time it will be remembered as an act of heroism for the military that were protecting the mill for so many weeks. It will be remembered as a symbol of the strengths of a brilliant people. That’s how I imagine it will be remembered.”

The Scottish government wants judges to settle whether MSPs could legislate for a vote without Westminster’s backing.

But UK law officers argue this is premature, and want the case thrown out without a ruling either way.

The hearing will take place in London on 11 and 12 October.

The panel for the case will be announced at the end of September.

Judges have said they want to hear the full arguments from both sides before coming to a decision.

The two parties have until 9 August to make written submissions.

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon wants to hold a vote on 19 October 2023, and is pushing for an agreement with the UK government to allow this.

A similar deal led to Scotland’s independence referendum in 2014.

UK ministers are opposed to this, so Ms Sturgeon wants the Supreme Court to rule on whether Holyrood has the power to hold a vote without Westminster’s support.

UK government law officers claim this move was premature and that the usual route should be for MSPs to pass a bill before the court scrutinises it.

The court has asked both sides to provide substantive arguments at the same time as considering that point, asking for full written submissions to be made in the coming weeks.

Judges refused a motion from the Advocate General for Scotland – the UK government’s top Scottish law officer – asking for these submissions to be limited solely to the question of whether the court should rule on the case.

The Supreme Court said it was “in the interests of justice and the efficient disposal of the proceedings that the court should hear argument on both issues at a single hearing”.

Scottish government constitution secretary, Angus Robertson, said confirmation of the October date was “welcome news.”.

He added: “The Lord Advocate’s written case has been filed with the Supreme Court and will be published in due course.”

The UK government also welcomed the hearing date.

A spokesperson said: “We are preparing our written case on the preliminary points we have noted, as well as the substantive issue, and will submit in accordance with the timetable set by the court.

“On the question of legislative competence, the UK government’s clear view remains that a bill legislating for a referendum on independence would be outside the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament.”

Holyrood and Westminster are both now in recess, and politicians would do well to enjoy their summer break with a frantic autumn in the offing.

A new prime minister will be installed in September – then in October the Supreme Court will consider the issue of indyref2.

Both of these developments are crucial to whether Nicola Sturgeon can deliver the vote she has targeted in October 2023.

The new prime minister will surely sit down with her at some point, but both of the remaining candidates have already made their opposition to a referendum clear.

That moves the first minister on to Plan B – a court ruling. She will hope judges back Holyrood’s right to legislate for a vote, although she knows this might be a tall order.

If they rule against this, then Ms Sturgeon will spread her hands and ask what routes are left open to her – looking to put pressure on UK ministers to come back to the table.

So these autumn dates represent some progress towards clearing up the questions over indyref2 – even if they might not ultimately break the stalemate.

Most of the victims were Iraqi tourists and children were among the dead. At least 23 people were wounded.

Local officials blamed Turkish forces and Iraq is recalling its charge d’affaires from Ankara.

Turkey is suggesting that forces belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) carried out the strike.

The “fierce artillery bombing” hit a park in Zakho, a city on the border between Iraq’s Kurdistan region and Turkey, Iraq state TV said.

Children, including a one-year-old baby, were among the victims, the Kurdish health minister said.

Hassan Tahsin Ali, a man injured in the attack, called the attacks “indiscriminate”.

“Our young people are dead, our children are dead, who should we turn to? We have only God,” he told the AFP news agency from in front of a hospital.

Iraq has summoned the Turkish ambassador in Baghdad to demand an apology, as well as pulling its charge d’affaires from the Turkish capital.

“The Turkish forces committed blatant violation of the sovereignty of Iraq,” Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi tweeted.

The Turkish flag was burned by protesters outside a Turkish visa centre in the Iraqi city of Karbala, while demonstrations also took place in Baghdad and Nassiriyah.

The United States condemned the shelling.

“The killing of civilians is unacceptable, and all states must respect their obligations under international law, including the protection of civilians,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

Turkey has been mounting one of its periodic offensives against Kurdish fighters, who have bases in the region. Its latest offensive in northern Iraq started around three months ago and is aimed at targeting the PKK.

But Turkey’s foreign ministry said Wednesday’s attacks were committed by “terrorist organisations”. It said that the Iraqi government should not be influenced by “terrorist propaganda”, in reference to the PKK.

The PKK calls for greater Kurdish self-governance and is involved in an armed struggle with the Turkish state. The group is considered a terror group by the EU, US and UK.

Kurds make up 15-20% of Turkey’s population but have faced persecution there for generations. The government in Ankara is trying to ban the pro-Kurdish HDP party, the third biggest in parliament.

Ms Trump, 73, died last week after reportedly falling down the stairs of her Manhattan apartment.

Among those in attendance were Donald and Ivana’s three children, Ivanka, Eric and Donald Trump Jr, who all reportedly gave eulogies.

The pair were married for 15 years between 1977 and 1992.

Originally from what was then Czechoslovakia, Ivana Trump was a notable socialite who became the subject of intense public interest alongside Donald Trump during the 1980s and 1990s. After the pair separated, she went on to launch a line of beauty products, jewellery and clothing.

At the funeral on Wednesday, Ivana and Donald’s three children were seen standing together alongside their spouses and families as the hearse carrying the coffin arrived to be carried into St Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church.

The former president – who reportedly did not speak at the service – arrived separately alongside security personnel.

Before the ceremony, he wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social: “A very sad day, but at the same time a celebration of a wonderful and beautiful life.”

According to the New York Post, an emotional Ivanka Trump, 40, told mourners during the service: “Growing up, my mother didn’t tell me a woman could do anything she wanted to – she showed me.”

She added: “My mother once told me there was nothing she couldn’t do in heels.”

Donald Jr called his mother “fearless and independent”.

Others seen at the funeral included the real estate developer Charles Kushner – Jared Kushner’s father – Malaysian designer Zang Toi, TV host Jeanine Pirro and George Wayne, a former Vanity Fair journalist known for his interviews with celebrities.

No cameras are allowed inside the church during the service.