South Africans angry at joblessness, #inequality & power shortages have cut support for the #ANC to 40% in this week's election, ending 3 decades of dominance in #SouthAfrica by the party that freed the country from #apartheid.
A dramatically weakened mandate for the legacy party of #NelsonMandela, down from the 57.5% it got in the previous 2019 parliamentary election, means the ANC must share #power w/a rival in order to keep it.
Vote tallying from Wed's poll was in its final stages on Sat, w/results from 99.53% of polling stations giving the #ANC 40.21%.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), had 21.80%, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a new party led by fmr president Jacob #Zuma, had 14.60%, while the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters ( #EFF), led by former ANC youth leader Julius #Malema, got 9.48%.
"We have achieved our mission: ... to bring the ANC below 50%. We want to humble the ANC," #Malema said. “We are going to negotiate w/the ANC" for a coalition deal, though that would not be quite enough for a majority w/o incl’g another party.
The #ANC won every previous election by a landslide since the 1994 vote that ended #WhiteMinorityRule, but over the last decade its support dwindled as the economy stagnated, unemployment rose & roads & power stations crumbled.
The #UnitedStates is actively weighing whether to lift one of #POTUS#Biden’s longest-held precautionary measures of the #Ukraine war: a ban on the use of #US provided #weapons for offensive strikes inside #Russia.
The reassessment is a byproduct of Russia’s renewed cross-border assault on #Kharkiv, a chorus of pressure from #EU ofcls & a visit to Kyiv by Secy of State #Blinken that reinforced the peril facing Ukraine….
The Israeli military has lifted a ban on the sale of food to Gaza from Israel & the occupied #WestBank as its battlefield offensive chokes international aid, acc/to #Palestinian officials, businessmen (sic) & international aid workers.
Israeli war cabinet minister #BennyGantz's #centrist party has proposed holding a vote to dissolve #parliament in a bid to bring about an early #election, his party said in a statement on Thurs.
A career #State Dept ofcl involved in the #Biden admin’s debate over #Israel’s conduct in #Gaza resigned, citing disagreements w/a recently published #US govt report that claimed Israel was not impeding #humanitarian assistance to Gaza, per 2 ofcls.
Stacy Gilbert, served in the State Dept’s Bureau of Population, #Refugees & #Migration (#PRM). Gilbert emailed staff Tues explaining her view that State was wrong in its conclusion.
Washington has sought to foil Arab efforts to re-establish ties with Syria, using the threat of economic sanctions
Saudi Arabia appointed Faisal al-Mujfel as the Kingdom’s new ambassador to Syria on 26 May, making this its first envoy to Damascus since the closure of the Saudi embassy in 2012 during the war.
Riyadh had reopened the embassy in Syria earlier this year following moves by both Syria and Saudi Arabia to re-establish severed ties in May 2023.
Last year, Syria reopened its embassy in Riyadh and appointed Ayman Soussan as the ambassador.
Riyadh and Damascus resuming ties marked the most notable development in moves by Arab states to re-establish ties with President Bashar al-Assad, who was left out in the cold by Western and Arab states alike following the start of the Syrian war in 2011.
In a move to further reconcile with Assad, Damascus was invited to the Arab Leaguemeeting last year after being suspended from membership for 12 years.
However, Qatar, the main supporter of the Syrian opposition, stood against the readmission of Syria back into the Arab League.
The US was unfavorable to these developments to reignite ties with Syria by Arab states and used economic sanctions as a deterrent.
The Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act of 2023 bill was passed by the House of Representatives and is currently in the Senate.
The bill “prohibits federal officials or employees from taking any action to recognize a Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad,” the description on the US Congress official website-,Assad%20Regime%20Anti%2DNormalization%20Act%20of%202023,persons%20(individuals%20and%20entities).)reads. “The bill also expands existing sanctions related to the Syrian conflict to cover additional activities and persons (individuals and entities).”
Representative Joe Wilson, one of the US Lawmakers who introduced the bill, previously said, “Countries choosing to normalize with [the] unrepentant mass murderer and drug trafficker, Bashar al-Assad, are headed down the wrong path.”
Multiple nations have warmed up to Damascus after it became clear that Assad would remain in power.
In 2018, the UAE reinstated ties with Syria and has since led the efforts to reintegrate Damascus into the regional fold.
The #IJC ordered #Israel on Fri to “immediately halt” its offensive in #Rafah in south #Gaza. The court cited “exceptionally grave” developments for the already “extremely vulnerable” population in Rafah…,& said it was “not convinced that the evacuation effort” for #Palestinian#civilians in Gaza is sufficient to “alleviate the immense risk.” Israel, which has rejected the genocide charges,…described the case as “divorced from the facts.”
The #UnitedStates is preparing a $275M #military#aid package for #Ukraine, which will include 155mm artillery shells, precision aerial munitions & ground vehicles….
The weapons aid, which could be announced as soon as Fri, will utilize Presidential Drawdown Authority, which authorizes the president to transfer articles & services from US stocks w/o specific congressional approval during an emergency.
As a part of the $95B aid bills, #Congress authorized $60.8B worth of various forms of #aid to #Ukraine, including $8B worth of presidential drawdown authority items.
While the package mainly includes munitions, it also includes vehicles that are designed to recover disabled tanks & other heavy equipment from the battlefield, a sign that the #UnitedStates expects attacks & equipment losses to continue.
#Taiwan's military mobilised forces & said it was confident it could protect the island, after #China started 2 days of #punishment drills around Taiwan in what it said was a response to "separatist acts".
The exercises in #TaiwanStrait & around groups of Taiwan-controlled islands…,come 3 days after #Lai Ching-te took office as Taiwan's new #president, a man Beijing detests as a #separatist.
China, which views democratically governed #Taiwan as its own territory, has denounced Lai's inauguration speech on Mon, in which he called on #China to stop its threats & on Tues Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called #Lai "disgraceful".
Lai has repeatedly offered talks w/ China but been rebuffed. He says only Taiwan's people can decide their future, & rejects Beijing's #sovereignty claims.
The Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (#PLA) said it had started joint military drills, involving the army, navy, air force & rocket force, in areas around #Taiwan at 7:45AM.
The drills are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait, the north, south & east of Taiwan, as well as areas around the Taiwan-controlled islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu & Dongyin, the command said in a statement.
After a sobering trip to #Kyiv, Secy of State Antony J. #Blinken is urging #POTUS#Biden to lift some restrictions on how Ukraine can use American arms.
The Spanish, Irish & Norwegian govts announced Wed that they would recognize a #Palestinian state, saying there would be no #peace in the #MiddleEast w/o it.
Israel denounced the move as giving aid to its enemy #Hamas.
The coordinated announcements are purely symbolic — but not w/o some power.
The leaders of the 3 countries said they hoped their recognition would press #Israel, the #Palestinians & the international community toward a #TwoStateSolution to the conflict.
“In the midst of a #war, w/tens of thousands killed & injured, we must keep alive the only alternative that offers a political solution for Israelis & Palestinians alike: Two states, living side by side, in #peace & #security,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said.
In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz ordered the immediate recall of the Israeli ambassadors to #Spain, #Ireland & #Norway. “I am sending a clear message today: #Israel will not be complacent against those who undermine its sovereignty & endanger its #security.”
The #UnitedStates govt reiterated its position that recognizing a #PalestinianState was premature & must be the result of direct negotiations between Israel & the #Palestinians.
The #UnitedStates should slap sanctions on ICC ofcls who seek an #arrest#warrant for PM Benjamin Netanyahu, a top foreign policy adviser to #Republican presidential #candidate Donald Trump said on Tues after meeting the Israeli leader.
Been reading r/worldnews for a decade now and lately it has been really revealing what a propaganda machine it has become. Just got perma banned for pointing out that "legal war targets aren't necessarily ethically correct"
With Artifact gone, reddit basically gone - what other sources do you use for #geopolitics?
3 fmr #UnitedStates foreign policy ofcls in Trump's admin met w/ Benjamin Netanyahu & other public figures in #Israel on Mon….
The delegation was comprised of Robert O'Brien, who served as Trump's 4th & final #NationalSecurity adviser, as well as fmr Ambassador to the #UAE John Rakolta & fmr Ambassador to #Switzerland Ed McMullen….
In addition to #Netanyahu, the #Trump delegation met Israeli opposition ldr Yair Lapid & several other Israeli ofcls….
[They say] Among the main goals of the trip was to obtain a better understanding of #Israel's domestic #political situation…. Netanyahu's coalition is beset by internal disagreements, w/many Israelis blaming his govt for failing to prevent the #Hamas attack.
…[the meeting] took place amid strains between Israel & the #Biden admin about Israel’s conduct …in #Gaza.
A helicopter carrying President #EbrahimRaisi of #Iran & his foreign minister crashed on Sunday in the country’s mountainous northwest, acc/to state media, deepening the turmoil that has gripped the nation on both the international & domestic fronts in recent months.
#Raisi, 63, was traveling from Iran’s border w/ Azerbaijan to inaugurate a joint dam project.
The helicopter, carrying #Raisi & #Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir #Abdollahian, state media reported, crashed near the city of Varzaghan around 1PM local time, in bad weather & thick fog.
Search & rescue teams scoured an area of tall mountains & dense forest through rain & fog for >10 hrs. At one point the authorities called off the aerial search because of the weather, dispatching on foot soldiers, elite commandos of the Revolutionary Guards & 40 rescue teams….
Even well into the night, state media had not yet reported on casualties, or on the condition of the president or anyone else aboard. The cause of the crash was also unknown.
“There will be no disruption in the country’s operation,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali #Khamenei said in an address on state TV. “Senior officials are doing their work & I have advised them on the necessary points & all of the country’s operation will carry on smoothly & orderly.”
#Raisi, a conservative who violently crushed dissent is widely viewed as a possible successor to the SupremeLeader. The uncertainty over his fate comes during a particularly tumultuous period for #Iran.
Its long shadow war w/ #Israel burst into the open after #Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, setting off the war in #Gaza & a cascade of strikes & counterstrikes across the region.
#Raisi is a hard-line religious cleric who came of age during the #Islamic revolution. Under #Iran’s #theocracy, Raisi, as president, is the 2nd most powerful individual in Iran’s #political structure after… #Khamenei.
After becoming president in 2021, Raisi consolidated power & marginalized reformists who wanted to defuse tensions w/the #West. He repeatedly said he pursued a policy of “strong diplomacy,” forging closer #economic & #security ties w/ #Russia & #China.