American foreign policy may have fallen victim to excessive political correctness, to the “woke” culture. Let me explain: During the Cold War, Washington did not choose its friends and allies based on who upheld human rights and protected minorities; its priorities were devoid of such concerns, driven purely by geopolitical expediency. This is why the US had such close ties with the Greek dictatorship, disregarding its brutal suppression of democratic rights. Washington viewed the Middle East and its powerful dictators through exactly the same prism for several decades. Then the Cold War ended and with it, for many, came the end of history. There was no rival anymore. The Americans believed they had secured their ideological hegemony forever. They started to look at the rest of the world as a well-tended “garden” that would grow according to US values and economic and geopolitical demands. Globalization strengthened this belief and for a while at least, there was just one pole. American embassies became more interested in soft politics and multiculturalism. The intervention in Kosovo was the product of a way of thinking that saw America in the role of an armed peacekeeping force that would protect minorities and prevent a humanitarian crisis. In Iraq, it labored under the delusion that some utopian Middle Eastern version of democracy could emerge after the invasion. Such delusions prevailed when the Arab Spring began, leading Washington to throw its old and close ally Hosni Mubarak under the bus. Barack Obama realized that he could not keep drawing red lines and Mubarak fell – but democracy did not really come to Egypt, just as it will not come to Syria. In the meantime, the “garden” America had been dreaming of was starting to look like a jungle, as American historian Robert Kagan has described it. The rest of the planet, and the South especially, kept shouting at America to stop shaking its finger at others and only the narrow core of the West saw the US as a beacon and protector of Western values. Now even America doesn’t want this role anymore. Donald Trump pulled down all the veils. From now on, American foreign policy will be unabashed and brutally transactional. Its diplomatic representatives will only be interested in who is buying what. We are returning to a past state of affairs – from the hegemony of a single pole to a planet in a state of anarchy, where right is determined by might, and might alone.NDP ready to open 'gates' to pass Liberal GST holiday bill separate from $250 rebate
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Jurors in New Mexico have awarded a man more than $412 million in a medical malpractice case that involved a men’s health clinic that operates in several states. The man’s attorneys celebrated Monday’s verdict, saying they are hopeful it will prevent other men from falling victim to a scheme that involved fraud and what they described as dangerous penile injections. They said the jury award for punitive and compensatory damages is likely the largest in history for a medical malpractice case. The award follows a trial held in Albuquerque earlier this month that centered on allegations outlined in a lawsuit filed by the man's attorneys in 2020. NuMale Medical Center and company officials were named as defendants. According to the complaint, the man was 66 when he visited the clinic in 2017 in search of treatment for fatigue and weight loss. The clinic is accused of misdiagnosing him and unnecessarily treating him with “invasive erectile dysfunction shots” that caused irreversible damage. “This out of state medical corporation set up a fraudulent scheme to make millions off of conning old men by scaring them with a fake test,” Nick Rowley, the man's attorney, wrote in a social media post that detailed the verdict. Rowley went on to say that the scheme involved clinic workers telling patients they would have irreversible damage if they didn't agree to injections three times a week. NuMale Medical Center President Brad Palubicki said in a statement issued Tuesday that the company is committed to high-quality and safe patient care. He said NuMale disagrees with the verdict and intend to pursue all available legal remedies, including an appeal. A message seeking additional comment was left Wednesday with the company and its attorney. NuMale also has clinics in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, Nebraska, North Carolina and Wisconsin. According to court records, jurors found that fraudulent and negligent conduct by the defendants resulted in damages to the plaintiff. They also found that unconscionable conduct by the defendants violated the Unfair Practices Act.NEW DELHI: The US Justice Department on November 20 indicted a 57-year-old Indian Sanjay Kaushik from Oregon, for conspiring to export aviation components to Russia. "Kaushik was indicted for conspiring to export controlled aviation components with dual civilian and military applications to end users in Russia, in violation of the Export Control Reform Act. Kaushik is also charged with attempting to illegally export a navigation and flight control system from Oregon to Russia through Indi and with making false statements in connection with an export,’’ read the statement issued by the US Justice Department (DOJ) on Friday. Kaushik was arrested in Miami, Florida, on October 17 this year under a criminal complaint and an arrest warrant was issued by the District of Oregon. Meanwhile, according to the court documents, beginning as early as March 2023, it has been alleged that Kaushik conspired with others to unlawfully obtain aerospace goods and technology from the US for entities in Russia. "The goods were purchased under the false pretence that they would be supplied to Kaushik and his Indian company, when in fact they were destined for Russian end users,’’ according to the DOJ. It has been alleged that Kaushik and his co-conspirators purchased an Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS), which is a device that provides navigation and flight control data for aircraft, from an Oregon-based supplier. Components such as the AHRS require a license from the Department of Commerce to be exported to certain countries, including Russia. To obtain an export license for the AHRS, Kaushik and his co-conspirators falsely claimed that Kaushik’s Indian company was the end purchaser and that the component would be used in a civilian helicopter. Kaushik and his co-conspirators obtained the AHRS – which was ultimately detained before it was exported from the United States – on behalf of and to ship it, through India, to a customer in Russia. Even though an indictment, is only an accusation until proven, if convicted, Kaushik faces maximum penalties of 20 years in prison and up to USD 1 million for each count in the indictment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Teaching the basic rugby league knowledge to interested players is the stepping stone to growing a sufficient pool of talented players in the Northern Division. This was the gist of Fiji Bati head coach, Wise Kativerata’s interview yesterday after conducting a two-day rugby league basic training workshop in Labasa. He said the ideology among youths that only rugby sevens and fifteens were the respected codes, must be erased. Kativerata said rugby league is a growing sport and paved the way for emerging talents to prosper and make a career from it. “Players like Semi Valemi and Semi Radradra are from the North and have made it while playing in the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) competition,” he said. “Rugby league is a simple sport, but, mastering the basics of the game will help players to thrive,” he said. Kativerata said the potential for the Northern based- players to play for professional clubs overseas look promising. “Grassroots development is vital with players as young as 14 being introduced and moulded into the sport,”Kativerata proposed. “This is a six-year project where FNRL will visit Vanua Levu and other maritime islands developing the sport, outside Viti Levu.” Female participant Motu Lalagavesi, said she was interested in what the sport offered. Lalagavesi is the Macuata women’s rugby coach. “Women must try this sport be-cause the concept of the six-tackle rule is interesting and it is enjoyable sport to play,” she said. Northern State Rugby League interim president, Alan Tuinasoni said the 22 clubs registered in the division were told to focus on developing a women’s side as well. The Labasa and Dreketi zones were the active ones with Labasa having eight clubs, Dreketi-Seaqaqa accommodating eight clubs while Bua has got six. Feedback: samphras.anand@fijisun.com.fj
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally, Russian media said Sunday, hours after a stunning rebel advance seized control of Damascus and ended his family’s 50 years of iron rule . Thousands of Syrians poured into streets echoing with celebratory gunfire and waved the revolutionary flag in scenes that recalled the early days of the Arab Spring uprising, before a brutal crackdown and the rise of an insurgency plunged the country into a nearly 14-year civil war. The swiftly moving events raised questions about the future of the country and the wider region. “Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East," President Joe Biden said , crediting action by the U.S. and its allies for weakening Syria’s backers — Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. He called the fall of Assad a “fundamental act of justice” but also a “moment of risk and uncertainty,” and said rebel groups are “saying the right things now” but the U.S. would assess their actions. Russia requested an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council to discuss Syria, according to Dmitry Polyansky, its deputy ambassador to the U.N., in a post on Telegram. The arrival of Assad and his family in Moscow was reported by Russian agencies Tass and RIA, citing an unidentified source at the Kremlin. A spokesman there didn't immediately respond to questions. RIA also said Syrian insurgents had guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic posts in Syria. Earlier, Russia said Assad left Syria after negotiations with rebel groups and that he had given instructions to transfer power peacefully. The leader of Syria's biggest rebel faction, Abu Mohammed al-Golani , is poised to chart the country’s future. The former al-Qaida commander cut ties with the group years ago and says he embraces pluralism and religious tolerance. His Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the U.N. In his first public appearance since fighters entered the Damascus suburbs Saturday, al-Golani visited the Umayyad Mosque and described Assad's fall as “a victory to the Islamic nation.” Calling himself by his given name, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and not his nom de guerre, he said Assad had made Syria “a farm for Iran’s greed.” The rebels face the daunting task of healing bitter divisions in a country ravaged by war and split among armed factions. Turkey-backed opposition fighters are battling U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in the north, and the Islamic State group is still active in remote areas. Syrian state television broadcast a rebel statement saying Assad had been overthrown and all prisoners had been released. They urged people to preserve the institutions of “the free Syrian state,” and announced a curfew in Damascus from 4 p.m. to 5 a.m. An online video purported to show rebels freeing dozens of women at the notorious Saydnaya prison, where rights groups say thousands were tortured and killed . At least one small child was seen among them. “This happiness will not be completed until I can see my son out of prison and know where is he,” said one relative, Bassam Masr. "I have been searching for him for two hours. He has been detained for 13 years.” Rebel commander Anas Salkhadi appeared on state TV and sought to reassure religious and ethnic minorities, saying: “Syria is for everyone, no exceptions. Syria is for Druze, Sunnis, Alawites, and all sects.” “We will not deal with people the way the Assad family did," he added. Celebrations in the capital Damascus residents prayed in mosques and celebrated in squares, calling, “God is great.” People chanted anti-Assad slogans and honked car horns. Teenage boys picked up weapons apparently discarded by security forces and fired into the air. Soldiers and police fled their posts and looters broke into the Defense Ministry. Families wandered the presidential palace, walking by damaged portraits of Assad. Other parts of the capital were empty and shops were closed. “It’s like a dream. I need someone to wake me up," said opposition fighter Abu Laith, adding the rebels were welcomed in Damascus with “love.” Rebels stood guard at the Justice Ministry, where Judge Khitam Haddad said he and colleagues were protecting documents. Outside, residents sought information about relatives who disappeared under Assad. The rebels “have felt the pain of the people,” said one woman, giving only her first name, Heba. She worried about possible revenge killings by the rebels, many of whom appeared to be underage. Syria’s historically pro-government newspaper al-Watan called it “a new page for Syria. We thank God for not shedding more blood.” It added that media workers should not be blamed for publishing past government statements ordered from above. A statement from the Alawite sect that formed the core of Assad's base called on young Syrians to be “calm, rational and prudent and not to be dragged into what tears apart the unity of our country.” The rebels mainly come from the Sunni Muslim majority in Syria, which also has sizable Druze, Christian and Kurdish communities. In Qamishli in the northeast, a Kurdish man slapped a statue of the late leader Hafez Assad with his shoe. Calls for an orderly transition The rebel advances since Nov. 27 were the largest in recent years, and saw the cities of Aleppo, Hama and Homs fall within days as the Syrian army melted away. The road to Damascus from the Lebanese border was littered with military uniforms and charred armored vehicles. Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, which provided crucial support to Assad, abandoned him as they reeled from other conflicts. The end of Assad’s rule was a major blow to Iran and its proxies, already weakened by conflict with Israel . Iran said Syrians should decide their future “without destructive, coercive, foreign intervention.” The Iranian Embassy in Damascus was ransacked after apparently having been abandoned. Hossein Akbari, Iran’s ambassador to Syria, said it was “effectively impossible” to help the Syrian government after it admitted the insurgents' military superiority. Speaking on Iranian state media from an undisclosed location, he said Syria's government decided Saturday night to hand over power peacefully. “When the army and the people could not resist, it was a good decision to let go to prevent bloodshed and destruction,” Akbari said, adding that some of his colleagues left Syria before sunrise. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking on state TV, said there were concerns about the “possibility of civil war, disintegration of Syria, total collapse and turning Syria into a shelter for terrorists.” Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali has said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and turn its functions over to a transitional government. A video on Syrian opposition media showed armed men escorting him from his office to a hotel. The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” The Gulf nation of Qatar, a key regional mediator, hosted an emergency meeting of foreign ministers and top officials from eight countries with interests in Syria late Saturday, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Turkey. Majed al-Ansari, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, said they agreed on the need “to engage all parties on the ground," including the HTS, and that the main concern is “stability and safe transition.” Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops had seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established in 1974, saying it was to protect Israeli residents after Syrian troops abandoned positions. Israel’s military later warned residents of five southern Syria communities to stay home for their safety, and didn’t respond to questions. Israel captured the Golan in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it. The international community, except for the U.S., views it as occupied, and the Arab League on Sunday condemned what it called Israel’s efforts to take advantage of Assad’s downfall to occupy more territory. ___ Sewell reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue, Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut; Samar Kassaballi, Omar Sanadiki and Ghaith Alsayed in Damascus; Jon Gambrell in Manama, Bahrain; Josef Federman in Doha, Qatar; and Tia Goldenberg in Jerusalem, contributed. Abdulrahman Shaheen, Sarah El Deeb And Abby Sewell, The Associated Press
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