Football

March 13, 2023

Australia stopped the boats but the UK may flounder

The BBC may have reinstated sports pundit Gary Lineker, but the debate on the United Kingdom government’s tough new refugee policy will go on and on, writes Geoff Kitney. In today’s democracies,…

October 12, 2016

The English Premier League of Nations

It was proposed and widely commented upon last week that the British Government had in mind to count and publish levels of foreign labour employed by businesses in the UK. On Sunday,…

Global consequences for Donald Trump’s victory
The results of this week’s election have left America’s allies and adversaries alike preparing for another four years of unpredictability and “America first” protectionism that could reset the global order. “Chinese officials do see a potential upside if Donald Trump pulls the United States back from its role as a global leader. That could provide China with an opportunity to fill the vacuum,” says David Pierson, China correspondent. “During Trump’s first term, his engagement with the African continent fluctuated from disdain to neglect - he did not visit the continent once,” says Abdi Latif Dahir, East Africa correspondent. “Donald Trump’s victory is a setback to the world’s attempt to rein in dangerous levels of warming,” says Somini Sengupta, international climate reporter. New York Times, November 7

Benjamin Netanyahu bets war strategy on ‘bulldozer’ Katz as Israel waits for Donald Trump
Benjamin Netanyahu had wanted to sack his defence minister Yoav Gallant - with whom he has clashed on everything from the conduct of Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon to the conscription of ultraorthodox Jews - for months. On Tuesday night, with the world’s eyes trained on the US election, Israel’s prime minister finally seized his moment, replacing Gallant, a former general, with foreign minister Israel Katz, an ally with far less military experience dubbed a “bulldozer” in the Israeli press for his abrasive style. The move is likely to give the rightwing prime minister a freer hand to prosecute Israel’s wars just as the country prepares for the return to the White House of Donald Trump. Officials see the US president-elect as an ideological ally less likely to pressure Israel over the humanitarian toll of its wars, even if he is also likely to be less predictable than President Joe Biden. Gallant’s sacking, as the country fights with foes ranging from Hamas and Hizbollah to Iran, drew thousands of Israelis to the streets in protest and sparked accusations that Netanyahu was putting political considerations before national interest. Financial Times, November 7

Donald Trump claims US election victory after winning critical battlegrounds
Donald Trump has won Pennsylvania, the 2024 presidential election’s crucial battleground state, putting him on the brink of a commanding victory over Kamala Harris to reclaim the White House. The AP called the race in Pennsylvania at 2.24am, giving Trump his third battleground state after earlier victories in Georgia and North Carolina. Addressing supporters at his Mar-a-Lago club soon after, Trump predicted a “golden age” for the US. “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” the Republican told the crowd in Florida. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, told the crowd that the country had “just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America”. Financial Times, November 6

Republicans take Senate majority for first time in four years
Republicans seized control of the US Senate late on Tuesday after flipping Democratic held seats, holding onto GOP incumbents and wresting away the majority for the first time in four years. The unexpected battleground of Nebraska pushed Republicans over the top. Incumbent GOP Senator Deb Fischer brushed back a surprisingly strong challenge from independent newcomer Dan Osborn. Democrats watched their efforts to salvage their slim majority slip out of reach as tallies rolled in across a map that favoured Republicans. Early in the night, Republicans flipped one seat in West Virginia, electing Jim Justice, who easily replaced retiring Senator Joe Manchin. France 24, November 6

Binyamin Netanyahu fires Yoav Gallant as ‘trust breaks down’
Protesters took to the streets in Israel after Binyamin Netanyahu sacked Yoav Gallant as his defence minister, saying that trust had broken down after months of public disagreements. Although the Israeli prime minister said that he and Gallant had a “productive” relationship in the early months of the war against Hamas in Gaza, differences in strategy had developed between them. “At a time of war, full trust between the prime minister and the defence minister is critical,” Netanyahu said. “Unfortunately, this trust has eroded and attempts to bridge the gaps have failed. “I made many attempts to bridge these gaps, but they kept getting wider. They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way and - worse than that - they came to the knowledge of the enemy. Our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit.” The Times, November 6

Netanyahu offers Hamas $1m for each hostage and amnesty for Oct 7 kidnappers
Benjamin Netanyahu has offered a new deal to Hamas that would see Israel pay $1m for each of the remaining October 7 hostages and allow their captors to leave. The Israeli prime minister’s plan would involve his country’s military guaranteeing safe passage out of Gaza for the Palestinians holding Israeli hostages. An Israeli official said the hostage-takers and their families would be allowed to leave Gaza and avoid capture or punishment under the agreement, with the Israeli government paying millions for the hostages. The initiative was put in motion following Sunday’s security cabinet meeting, at which the hostage situation was discussed. Hamas has not yet responded to the initiative, first revealed by the Israeli broadcaster Channel 12. Daily Telegraph, November 5

Ukraine says it fought N Korean troops for first time
North Korean soldiers have clashed with Ukrainian troops for the first time, Ukraine's top officials have revealed. In an interview with South Korean broadcaster KBS, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said a "small group" of North Korean soldiers were attacked. Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who had earlier condemned the west's lack of response to the North Korean troops, said these "first battles with North Korea open a new chapter of instability in the world". Seoul, however, said it "does not believe [troops on both sides] engaged in direct combat", but that there was an "incident" involving a small number of North Korean soldiers "near the frontline". Ukraine says an estimated 11,000 North Korean soldiers were in the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian troops have a foothold. In recent weeks, South Korean and US intelligence as well as Nato have said that they have seen evidence of North Korean troops being involved in Russia's war. But Moscow and Pyongyang have so far not responded directly to any of the allegations. BBC news, November 6

UK: Treasury may have broken law by failing to reveal £9.5bn spend in Tory budget, MPs told
Treasury officials may have broken the law when they failed to alert the Office for Budget Responsibility about £9.5bn of spending that should have appeared in the March Tory budget, MPs have been told. Laws governing how the Treasury gives information to the OBR could have been breached when civil servants kept spending commitments under wraps, the government’s independent economic forecaster said. The head of the OBR, Richard Hughes, told the Commons Treasury committee that he had not complained at the time of the March budget “because what you don’t know, you don’t know”. But he said the disclosure would have “materially changed” its forecast predicting the impact on the economy of Jeremy Hunt’s pre-election budget. The Treasury committee chair, Meg Hillier, said it would need to investigate the legal situation to establish whether any laws had been broken. The Guardian, November 5

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Australia stopped the boats but the UK may flounder

The English Premier League of Nations