Suspended Thai PM Asks Court For More Time to Respond to Ethics Case
Paetongtarn's office asked the Constitutional Court for a deadline extension, Secretary-General Prommin Lertsuridej told reporters on Tuesday. The court has not yet responded to the request or specified how much more time it will give, he said.
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Ecuador's President Noboa marches against suspension of security measures
Ecuador's President Noboa marches against suspension of security measures By Alexandra Valencia QUITO (Reuters) -Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa on Tuesday led a march against a decision by the constitutional court to temporarily suspend provisions in recently-passed security laws, in what critics have said is an attempt to curtail judicial independence. Noboa has said the march was intended to preserve vital efforts to combat crime gangs, but detractors say he is interfering with judicial independence and trying to pressure judges to accept all his government's reforms. The court backed the suspensions after rights groups argued the measures, including immunity for security force members investigated for misconduct, a provision obliging telephone service providers to hand over certain information and changes to banking cooperatives could conflict with citizens' rights. "We are here to seek justice and to seek peace, we are not here to run over anyone, we follow the mandate of the people," said Noboa, speaking into a megaphone at the march. Noboa's National Democratic Action party controls the legislature, where the three laws containing the provisions were approved in June. One billboard along the route featured the names and photos of the nine justices in the constitutional court with the text: "These are the judges who are stealing our peace. They signed against laws that would protect us". Noboa's spokesperson said that billboard and others were not paid for by the government. "We are not going to permit change to be halted because of nine people who don't even show their face, who want to hide their names and their faces from society," added Noboa, dressed in a black anti-ballistic vest over a dark T-shirt. Ecuador's constitution prevents supreme court justices from speaking publicly about cases before them. The signage increases security risks for the judges and directly affects the court's independence, the court said in a statement, also decrying changes to security provisions for its headquarters on Tuesday, which marchers passed yelling "out corrupt judges!". Debate on the suspended measures should take place at public hearings scheduled to begin next week, the court added. A United Nations special rapporteur for justice, Margaret Satterthwaite, has expressed concern the court could be pressured by other powers in Ecuador and said judges must be free to work without threats. Noboa has deployed the army on the streets in a bid to curb violence, while pushing measures like increased sentences for drug trafficking.
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10 hours ago
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From Temple Mount, Ben-Gvir says 'entire Gaza Strip must be occupied'
After Ben-Gvir's visit, the Prime Minister's Office issued a statement saying that Israel's status quo on the Temple Mount "has not changed and will not change" National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ascended the Temple Mount on Sunday to pray, where he called for Israeli sovereignty over Gaza, he announced in a social media post. 'The horror videos released by Hamas are meant to pressure Israel,' Ben Gvir said, referring to new footage released by Hamas on Saturday showing hostage Evyatar David in a tunnel being forced to dig his grave. 'I say this precisely from here - from the Temple Mount, where we've proven sovereignty is possible - that a clear message must be sent: The entire Gaza Strip must be occupied, sovereignty declared, Hamas uprooted, and voluntary emigration promoted. Only then will we return the hostages and win the war.' Ben-Gvir and hundreds of other Jews were visiting the Temple Mount to mark Tisha B'Av, the Jewish day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. The status quo on the Temple Mount, established after 1967, allows Israel to oversee security while the Jordanian-backed Islamic Waqf administers the site. Non-Muslims, including Jews, may visit during limited hours but are strictly prohibited from praying there. The status quo's aim was to maintain religious balance and prevent conflict, though it has often been tested by political and security tensions. Ben-Gvir's number two, Negev and Galilee Minister Yizhak Wasserlauf, also visited the site on Sunday and posted a video of himself praying along with dozens of other people. Ben-Gvir joined by Amit Halevi, Sharren Haskel MKs Amit Halevi (Likud) and Sharren Haskel (New Hope-United Right) also ascended the Temple Mount to mark Tisha B'Av. 'Minhelet Har Habayit' (The Temple Mount Directorate), an NGO that provides services to visitors to the site, said on Sunday that some 3,527 people had visited the site throughout the day. According to the NGO, this set a record for the number of visitors in one day. After Ben-Gvir's visit, the Prime Minister's Office issued a short statement saying that "Israel's policy of maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount has not changed and will not change." The PMO had to put out nearly identical statements numerous times since the current government took office in late 2022, due to repeated statements by Ben-Gvir that the status quo had changed. "Israel's policy of maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount has not changed and will not change." For the first time, more than three thousand Jews ascended to pray on the Temple Mount in one day, with 3,527 Jews ascending for Tisha B'Av prayers on the Temple Mount, according to the Temple Mount administration. MKs Amit Halevi (Likud) and Sharren Haskel (New Hope-United Right) also ascended the Temple Mount to mark Tisha B'Av. In March, the Shin Bet wrote in the conclusions of its internal investigations into the failure of the October 7 massacre, that repeated declarations about a change in the status quo on the Temple Mount contributed to Hamas's decision to launch the attack, which it called 'Al Aqsa Flood'. Jordan's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned what it called the "storming of the al-Aqsa Mosque," saying that it was "a flagrant violation of international law" and "an unacceptable provocation." The ministry then added that Israel has no sovereignty over the al-Aqsa Mosque. Solve the daily Crossword
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11 hours ago
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Thailand says it may act in ‘self-defence' as soldier hurt near Cambodian border
Thailand's army warned that it may have to 'exercise the right of self-defence' in response to continuing incidents it blames on Cambodia, in which Thai soldiers patrolling along the two countries' border have been wounded by land mines. A statement from Thai army spokesperson Major General Winthai Suvaree said a sergeant was patrolling the border with seven other soldiers on Tuesday morning when he 'stepped on an anti-personnel landmine covertly planted by the Cambodian side, resulting in severe injuries to his left ankle'. The incident and the Thai reaction indicates the precariousness of the ceasefire that took effect on July 29 with the aim of ending five days of armed clashes over disputed territory along their border. The fighting killed dozens of people on both sides, including civilians, and displaced more than 260,000. Tuesday's landmine incident was the fourth of its kind in about a month, and the second since the ceasefire. It took place about half-a-mile from Ta Muen Thom temple, which Thailand claims is located in its Surin province. The area, which was the scene of heavy fighting in July, is one of several along the border that both countries claim as their own. In another disputed area on Saturday, a Thai sergeant major suffered severe injuries, including losing his left foot, while two privates suffered lesser injuries. 'This incident serves as clear evidence that the Cambodian side has violated the ceasefire agreement and shows no respect for international humanitarian law, particularly the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use and placement of all types of anti-personnel landmines,' the Thai army statement about the latest incident said. Both countries are parties to the international agreement. The statement noted the multiple similar incidents and said that Thailand 'has consistently adhered to peaceful approaches and has not been the initiating party'. 'However, should circumstances become compelling, it may be necessary to exercise the right of self-defence under international law principles to resolve situations that cause Thailand to continuously lose personnel due to violations of ceasefire agreements and sovereignty encroachments by Cambodian military forces,' it said. Cambodia's defence ministry 'categorically and unequivocally rejects the baseless, false, and deliberately misleading allegations from the Thai side regarding the injuries of Thai soldiers', its spokesperson, Lieutenant General Maly Socheata, said. 'Cambodia, as a proud and responsible state party to the Ottawa Convention, maintains an absolute and uncompromising position: we have never used, produced, or deployed new landmines under any circumstances, and we strictly and fully honour our obligations underinternational law,' she said, echoing previous official denials. Ly Thuch, senior minister and first vice-president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, noted that Cambodia had cleared more than one million mines and nearly three million other pieces of unexploded ordnance left over from more than three decades of war and civil unrest that began in 1970, according to an interview with the Cambodian state news agency AKP. Cambodia and Thailand have clashed in the past over their 500-mile (800km) border. Tensions had been growing since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics.
