The US Senate gavels in Tuesday on Donald Trump's historic second impeachment trial, with his defense team decrying it as a "brazen political act" of retribution and Democratic prosecutors arguing that the ex-president wilfully incited a violent insurrection.

The House of Representatives impeached him last month over his role in the deadly January 6 siege of the US Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, and his trial -- the first of a former president -- will feature the Senate's 100 members sitting as jurors.
Trump's legal team Monday denounced the case as unconstitutional, calling it "absurd" to hold the former president responsible for the violence.
But in a preview of their prosecuting arguments, Democrats accused Trump Monday of committing the "most grievous constitutional crime" in the 232-year history of the American presidency by inciting his supporters to storm Congress.
The trial occurs with much of Capitol Hill still locked down under intense security one month after the unrest.
Amid continued fears of extremist attacks, 6,000 National Guard members remain deployed in Washington, adding to the picture of a capital still on edge.
The proceedings kick off at 1:00 pm (1800 GMT). According to a bipartisan deal, there first will be up to four hours of debate and a vote on the constitutionality of trying an ex-president.
Arguments will be heard beginning Wednesday, with 16 hours provided over two days per side.
Senators will then pose questions to the two teams, and a majority vote will be needed if either side wants to call witnesses. Trump has already declined an invitation to testify.
The trial is expected to extend into next week.
Trump is a deeply damaged political figure, in part because of his relentless false claims about voter fraud. But he remains a powerful force in the Republican Party.
Charged with "incitement of insurrection," he is likely once again to avoid conviction due to loyal support in the Senate, but his lawyers contended in their final pre-trial filing that the Constitution does not give the chamber jurisdiction to try a former president.
"The Senate must summarily reject this brazen political act" because "this is clearly not what the framers wanted or what the Constitution allows," his attorneys Bruce Castor, David Schoen and Michael T. van der Veen wrote.
-Indulging House Democrats hunger for this political theater is a danger to our Republic democracy and the rights that we hold dear.-The defense used blunt language in their 78-page brief, saying it was "simply absurd" to argue that Trump conjured up a mob to commit violent crime, and that those who attacked the Capitol did so on their own.

President Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump on January 20, declined Monday to address whether Trump should be found guilty or denied the right to hold future political office.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki later told reporters that Biden ran against Trump in 2020 "because he felt he was unfit for office," but added that the president will "leave it to the Senate to see this impeachment proceeding through."
Should Trump be convicted, the Senate will then hold a simple-majority vote on barring him from future public office.
The congressional Democrats prosecuting the trial, known as House impeachment managers, have pushed back sternly against Trump's legal contentions, citing "overwhelming" evidence.
"His incitement of insurrection against the United States government -- which disrupted the peaceful transfer of power -- is the most grievous constitutional crime ever committed by a president," the managers, led by congressman Jamie Raskin, said in a five-page brief.

The proceedings will take place in the very Senate chamber that was raided by rioters, threatening the lives of lawmakers in an effort to stop the ceremonial certification of Biden's election victory.

The impeachment managers argued in an earlier brief that Trump, who rallied supporters in Washington shortly before the mob assault, was "singularly responsible" for the unrest which left five people dead.
And they said acquitting Trump, who escaped conviction in his first impeachment trial in 2020, could do severe damage to American democracy.
But convicting him would require the vote of more than two-thirds of the senators, meaning 17 Republicans would need to break ranks and join all 50 Democrats -- seen as near impossible.
Even though Trump retains a strong base of support, public backing for a Trump conviction is stronger now than during his first impeachment trial, according to a new Ipsos/ABC News poll.

The House of Representatives impeached him last month over his role in the deadly January 6 siege of the US Capitol by a pro-Trump mob

Trump's legal team Monday denounced the case as unconstitutional, calling it "absurd" to hold the former president responsible for the violence

All eyes on Washington as Trump second impeachment trial starts

The US on Monday announced that it will re-engage with the UN Human Rights Council as an observer.

Mark Cassayre, the charge d'affaires at the US mission to the UN in Geneva, made the announcement at the end of the council’s session on Monday.
-I am pleased to inform you that this morning, Secretary [Antony] Blinken will announce that the United States will re-engage with the United Nations Human Rights Council as an observer.--We do so knowing that the most effective way to reform and improve the Council is to engage with it in a principled fashion- Cassayre said.
The administration of former President Donald Trump had withdrawn the US from the HR Council in 2018.

Washington announces to re-engage with UN Human Rights Council as observer, says US charge d'affaires

The administration of former President Donald Trump had withdrawn the US from the HR Council in 2018.

US returning to UN Human Rights Council as observer

India has asked Twitter Inc to take down 1,178 accounts the country says are backed by arch rival Pakistan or operated by sympathizers of a separatist Sikh movement, two technology ministry sources said on Monday.India’s security agencies said some of the accounts were being operated from outside of the country, one of the sources said, declining to be named as the order is not public. The order also involved the Twitter accounts of some supporters of the movement for an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan.
Many of these accounts were sharing and amplifying misinformation and provocative content on the ongoing farmers protests, the source added.
Tens of thousands of farmers have camped on the outskirts of India’s capital New Delhi for months demanding the withdrawal of new agriculture laws.
Twitter has yet to comply with the government order, which was issued on Feb. 4, the sources said.
India’s IT ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment
Twitter did not confirm or deny whether it had complied with the government’s latest order, but said it reviews content under its rules and local laws when it receives a legal request about potentially illegal posts.
-If the content violates Twitter’s Rules, the content will be removed from the service- the company said in a statement. -If it is determined to be illegal in a particular jurisdiction but not in violation of the Twitter Rules, we may withhold access to the content in the location only.-The U.S. social media firm also said it carefully reviews legal requests which may be seeking to restrict freedom of expression, adding that it takes extra care to review requests related to journalists or political speech.
Farmers are protesting in demand of the withdrawal of new agriculture laws they say benefit private buyers at the expense of growers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government says the reforms open up new opportunities for farmers.
Twitter earlier this month refused to comply with an Indian government directive to block more than 250 accounts and posts, a move which has put the social media giant at the centre of a political firestorm in one of its key markets.
Its CEO Jack Dorsey kicked up a storm in India last week after he liked a tweet suggesting the company should consider introducing a farmer protest emoji.

Security agencies said some of the accounts were being operated from outside of the country

Twitter has yet to comply with the government order, which was issued on Feb. 4, the sources said

India asks Twitter to remove 1,178 accounts

An Australian journalist who disappeared from Chinese state television's airwaves six months ago and was detained by Beijing authorities has been formally arrested for "supplying state secrets overseas".

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Monday that China had revealed it formally arrested Cheng Lei on February 5, after taking her into custody last August without explanation.
The mother-of-two stands accused of "illegally supplying state secrets overseas", Payne said in a statement, without providing details.
Cheng had been a familiar face on CGTN's English-language channel, conducting interviews with noted CEOs from around the world.
Born in Hunan province, Cheng is now an Australian national who emigrated to the country as a child, before returning to China and joining the state broadcaster in 2012.
China does not allow citizens to hold dual nationality.
On Monday, China's foreign ministry confirmed the arrest Cheng faces, and said her case is being "processed".
Spokesman Wang Wenbin called for Australia to "respect China's judicial sovereignty and stop interfering in China's handling of the case."
Cheng faces severe punishment if found to have broken China's national security laws.
Her niece Louisa Wen told Australian broadcaster ABC that the family did not "understand anything about the case".
Cheng's 11-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son "don't fully understand the situation", she said, adding that it had been "quite tough on the kids wondering what's going on".
Cheng's detention came as relations between Australia and China cratered.
The timing and lack of information about charges raised speculation that her detention was politically motivated, or tit-for-tat retaliation.
Beijing has reacted angrily to Australia's liberal use of foreign interference laws to block Chinese investment in sensitive sectors and to investigate Chinese influence on the country's public life.
China was also infuriated by Australia's calls for an independent probe into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, responding with a slew of sanctions against Australian exports.
Cheng's detention came weeks after Australian authorities raided the homes of Chinese state media journalists.
Two Australian journalists, Bill Birtles and Michael Smith, fled China shortly after being interrogated about Cheng.
Payne said the Australian government had visited Cheng six times since she was detained -- most recently on January 27 -- and had "serious concerns" about her "welfare and conditions of detention".
-We expect basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment to be met, in accordance with international norms- she said.
Cheng is the second high-profile Australian citizen to be held in Beijing, after writer Yang Hengjun was arrested in January 2019 on suspicion of espionage.
Her detention sent shockwaves through China's foreign journalist community.
Cheng had written a number of Facebook posts critical of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Beijing's approach to the coronavirus outbreak.
One post poked fun at Xi's visit in March to Wuhan, the Covid-19 ground zero: "The big story today, Dear Leader's visit, triggered titters in the newsroom -- waving to a big TV screen showing the coronavirus hospital in Wuhan apparently equals a visit."
Months after Cheng's detention, Chinese authorities also detained a Bloomberg News employee, Haze Fan, also on allegations of endangering national security.
The foreign ministry said Monday her case was also "under investigation".

Cheng's detention came as relations between Australia and China cratered

China revealed it had formally arrested journalist Cheng Lei on February 5, according to Australian authorities

Australian journalist arrested in China for 'supplying state secrets'

Eighteen people were confirmed dead on Monday and at least 200 others were missing after a devastating flash flood in India thought to have been caused by a chunk of glacier breaking off.The resulting wall of water and debris barrelled down a tight valley in India's Himalayan north on Sunday morning, destroying bridges, roads and hitting two hydroelectric power plants.-There was a cloud of dust as the water went by. The ground shook like an earthquake- local inhabitant Om Agarwal told Indian TV.
The Uttarakhand state government said on Monday 18 bodies have been recovered, and chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said at least 200 people were still unaccounted for.
Most of those missing were working at the two power plants. Some were trapped in two tunnels cut off by the floods and by mud and rocks.
-If this incident happened in the evening, after work hours, the situation wouldn't have been this bad as labourers and workers in and around the work sites would have been at home- Rawat told reporters.
Twelve people were rescued from one of the tunnels on Sunday but 25-35 more were still trapped in the second one, state disaster relief official Piyoosh Rautela told AFP.
With the main road washed away, paramilitary rescuers had to scale down a hillside on ropes to reach the entrance. Emergency workers were using heavy machinery to remove tonnes of rocks.
-Approximately 80 metres (260 feet) inside the tunnel is cleared and accessible. It appears that approximately 100 metres of debris inside the tunnel is yet to be cleared- said Vivek Kumar Pandey, another disaster official.
Several hundred rescue workers resumed their search operation at first light on Monday including national and state disaster response teams, the army and navy diving teams.

Scores of social media users captured the disaster, with footage showing water tearing through the narrow valley with terrifying force.

-We were 300 meters inside the tunnel working. Suddenly there was whistling and shouting telling us to get out- said survivor Rajesh Kumar, 28.
-We started running out but the water gushed in. It was like scenes from a Hollywood movie. We thought we wouldn't make it- he told AFP.
Authorities said initially that the cause was a chunk of glacier breaking off into a river, but the trigger may instead have been a phenomenon called a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF).
This is when the boundaries of a glacial lake -- formed when a glacier retreats -- are breached, releasing large amounts of water downstream. 
It is possible that this in turn was caused by an avalanche. The incident may also have been triggered by water pockets inside a glacier bursting.
Glaciers in the region have been shrinking rapidly in recent years because of global warming, but experts say that the construction of hydroelectric plants could also be a factor.
Floods in 2013 killed 6,000 people and led to calls for a review of projects in Uttarakhand, a state of 10 million people bordering Tibet and Nepal.
Vimlendhu Jha, founder of Swechha, an environmental NGO, said the disaster was a "grim reminder" of the effects of climate change and the "haphazard development of roads, railways and power plants in ecologically sensitive areas".
A major study in 2019 said that two-thirds of Himalayan glaciers, the world's "Third Pole", could melt by 2100 if global emissions are not sharply reduced.
Glaciers in the region are a critical source of water for hundreds of millions of people, feeding many of the world's most important river systems.

The resulting wall of water and debris barrelled down a tight valley in India's Himalayan north on Sunday morning, destroying bridges, roads and hitting two hydroelectric power plants

Uttarakhand Disaster: The NDRF, state authorities, Army and IAF are involved in the rescue efforts

18 dead, 200 missing after Indian glacier disaster

Russia on Friday expelled diplomats from three European countries for taking part in protests in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, after the European Union said ties with Moscow had hit a new low.

With EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Moscow for a rare visit, Russia said it had declared diplomats from Poland, Germany and Sweden persona non grata for participating in "illegal protests" on January 23 in support of Navalny.
The West has fiercely condemned Navalny's arrest in mid-January, a crackdown on mass demonstrations by his supporters, and a court ruling on Tuesday to jail the 44-year-old anti-corruption campaigner for nearly three years.
Moscow announced the expulsions just hours after Borrell met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss ties, with the unspecified number of diplomats "ordered to leave Russia in the near future".
The foreign ministry did not provide details of how they had been involved in the protests, saying only that Russia expects foreign diplomats to "strictly follow the norms of international law".
Russia has bristled at Western backing for Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most prominent opponent, accusing Europe and the United States of interfering in its domestic affairs.
-Our relationship is indeed in a difficult moment- Borrell told Lavrov during the talks, adding that the relationship is "under severe strain and the Navalny case is a low point."
The two men said there were hopes for cooperation in some areas, including on the coronavirus pandemic, but the announcement of the expulsions was unlikely to help ease tensions. 
EU spokesman Peter Stano said Borrell had learned of the decision in his meeting with Lavrov.
Borrell "strongly condemned this decision and rejected the allegations that they conducted activities incompatible with their status as foreign diplomats," he said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the action as "not justified", while Sweden's foreign ministry said it was "completely unfounded" and warned that it reserved the right "to an appropriate response".
Borrell's visit was the first to Russia by a senior EU envoy since 2017, following years of deteriorating relations sparked by Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Ties have further worsened in recent months, after three European labs concluded that Navalny was poisoned with a Soviet-designed nerve agent in an attack in Siberia in August.

He blames Putin for the poisoning, a charge the Kremlin denies. 
Navalny was flown to Germany to recover from the poisoning then arrested at a Moscow airport when he returned to Russia in mid-January.
He was accused of violating the parole conditions of a 2014 suspended sentence on fraud charges and on Tuesday jailed for two years and eight months.
He was back in court on Friday on separate charges of defaming a World War II veteran, which could see him jailed for an additional two years.
The trained lawyer is accused of describing people who appeared in a pro-Kremlin video -- including the 95-year-old veteran -- as "the shame of the country" and "traitors" in a June tweet.
In court Navalny and his lawyers said the case was politically motivated and a pretext to silence him.

-It is clear to everyone that the truth is on my side- he said, standing in glass cage for defendants in the Moscow courtroom.

Borrell's visit drew criticism from some European capitals worried Moscow would spin it as evidence Brussels is keen to return to business as usual, with some in Europe calling for new sanctions on Russia.
The Kremlin on Friday also lashed out against what it called "aggressive and unconstructive rhetoric" from the United States this week.
-We've already said that we will not heed patronising statements of this sort- said Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
President Joe Biden on Thursday said the United States will no longer be "rolling over in the face of Russia's aggressive actions" and his officials said they would take action against Moscow over Navalny and for other "malign" behaviour.

The West has fiercely condemned Navalny's arrest in mid-January

Police confront protesters during a demonstration in support of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Moscow, January 23, 2021.

Russia expels EU diplomats over Navalny protests, ties at 'low point'

As fear over the coronavirus mounted and infections climbed worldwide, the global air passenger traffic slipped by 65.9% in 2020 compared to the previous year, according to a leading trade group.

This is the sharpest traffic decline in aviation history, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a statement on Wednesday.
The international passenger demand decreased 75.6% year-on-year in 2020. The capacity measured in available seat kilometers on international routes declined 68.1% and load factor fell 19.2 percentage points to 62.8%.
Domestic demand fell at a slower pace last year, down 48.8% compared to 2019. Capacity on domestic flights contracted 35.7% and load factor dropped 17 percentage points to 66.6% during the same period.
Data also showed that bookings for future travel made in January 2021 were down 70% on an annual basis, putting further pressure on airline cash positions and potentially impacting the timing of the expected recovery.
Touching on expectation for 2021, the IATA said overall demand is projected to improve 50.4% from last year which would bring the industry to 50.6% of 2019 levels.
However, if more severe travel restrictions in response to new variants persist, demand improvement could be limited to just 13% over 2020 levels, leaving the industry at 38% of 2019 levels, it warned.
-Last year was a catastrophe. There is no other way to describe it. What recovery there was over the Northern hemisphere summer season stalled in autumn and the situation turned dramatically worse over the year-end holiday season, as more severe travel restrictions were imposed in the face of new outbreaks and new strains of COVID-19- said Alexandre de Juniac, the IATA director general and CEO.

Through catastrophic year due to coronavirus pandemic, air passenger traffic sees sharpest decline in aviation history

The international passenger demand decreased 75.6% year-on-year in 2020.

COVID-19 cuts global air passenger traffic 66% in 2020

Voters in Ecuador will head to polls on Sunday in general elections to elect a president and vice president, members of the National Assembly, and representatives to the Andean Parliament.

The elections will be historic with an unprecedented number of presidential pairs participating, 16, as well as set to be held under coronavirus measures.
A total of 13 million Ecuadorians are eligible to vote to decide if they want to turn to the anti-imperial ideas of former President Rafael Correa or maintain the current path of President Lenin Moreno.
If no candidate wins the election in Sunday’s first round after failing to secure over 40% of the votes or garner 10% more of the votes won by the closest rival, there will be a second round on April 11 between the two frontrunners.
Successor's inauguration ceremony will take place on May 24.
The polls will be held amid the coronavirus pandemic. Ecuador has registered nearly 255,000 COVID-19 cases and about 15,000 fatalities, according to a running tally of the US-based Johns Hopkins University.
According to the latest pre-election polls, the top three presidential candidates are Andres Arauz Galarza from the left-leaning Union for Hope (UNES) coalition, Guillermo Lasso Mendoza from the right-wing CREO-PSC Alliance and Yaku Perez Guartambel from the left-leaning Pachakutik party.
Arauz, 35, served as minister and Central Bank director during Correa era, and he stated that Correa will be one of his advisors if he becomes president.
Seeking the presidency for the third time, Lasso, a 65-year-old businessman, served as former economy minister and aims to create one million jobs and implement universal health care if he assumes the post.
Former governor Perez, 51, positions himself against the policies of Correa, known as correismo.
Moreno, who assumed presidency in 2017, will not be running for re-election. Served as Correa's vice president from 2007 until 2013, Moreno reversed the policies of his predecessor and pursued policies more friendly to international institutions and investors by promoting free trade, ending fuel subsidies and securing loans from the IMF.
His decision to scrap decades-old fuel subsidies as part of a reform package sparked massive nationwide protests in October 2019.
Ecuador's general elections will be accompanied by 2,540 national electoral observers and some 260 international observers, according to the National Electoral Council.

Unprecedented number of 16 presidential pairs are running for office

A total of 13 million Ecuadorians are eligible to vote to decide if they want to turn to the anti-imperial ideas of former President Rafael Correa or maintain the current path of President Lenin Moreno

Ecuador set for general elections on Sunday

Since Myanmar’s new military rulers imposed a temporary blockade on Facebook on Thursday, thousands in the Southeast Asian country have joined Twitter, according to app downloads and a Reuters estimate.Many are using the platform and pro-democracy hashtags to criticize the army’s takeover and call for peaceful protests until the result of November’s election, which was won in a landslide by Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, is respected.
The hashtags #RespectOurVotes, #HearTheVoiceofMyanmar, and #SaveMyanmar all had hundreds of thousands of interactions by Friday, according to hashtag tracker BrandMentions.
The junta seized power on Monday in a coup against the democratically elected government of Suu Kyi in response to what the army said was “election fraud.”&nbsp;Military authorities banned Facebook Inc - which counts half of the population as users - until at least February 7th for the sake of “stability”, after the junta’s opponents began using the platform to organize.
But it took several hours for internet providers to enforce the ban, during which time activists began creating Twitter accounts and sharing them on their Facebook profiles, according to a review of social media messages.
Twitter was by Friday among the top five most downloaded apps on both the Google and Apple stores, according to data from research firm SensorTower.
Out of around 1,500 new Twitter accounts reviewed by Reuters and activated in the last two days using Myanmar related hashtags, most identified themselves as being opposed to the military government, while a handful of accounts were pro-military and posted links to the junta’s press releases.
Some pro-democracy activists used the hashtag #MilkTeaAlliance, to appeal for support to cross-border youth movements pushing for democracy.
The hashtag, which started in Thailand in April, is used prominently by Hong Kong, Thai, and Taiwanese activists, with Twitter becoming a key soapbox for the region’s pro-democracy activists.
Twitter declined to comment on the surge of users in Myanmar.

Twitter declined to comment on the surge of users in Myanmar

Students arrive at a court after being arrested in a demonstration against the military coup, in Mandalay, Myanmar, February 5, 2021.

After Facebook ban, thousands in Myanmar take to Twitter

Egypt has released Al Jazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein after more than four years in detention on accusations of publishing false news, a security source said Friday.

Hussein, an Egyptian national held under preventive detention since December 2016, was released from jail Thursday night, the source said, without giving further details.
Al Jazeera -- which has run a daily campaign for his liberation -- did not immediately confirm his release but had repeatedly said he was being held without formal charges, a trial or conviction.
Gamal Eid, head of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, confirmed to AFP that a decision was taken by authorities to release Hussein, adding however "he has still not returned home".
The Egyptian Observatory for Journalism and Media, a non-governmental organisation, said on its Facebook page that a Cairo criminal court had decided on Monday to free Hussein.
There had been repeated calls for his release, including from human rights watchdog Amnesty International, after a Cairo prosecutor in May 2019 ordered he be freed from jail.
But a week later Egypt's Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) slapped him with another set of charges and re-ordered his detention.
Hussein's reported release from jail comes weeks after Egypt said it had agreed to restore ties with Qatar, shortly after the end of a three-year Saudi-led freeze on relations with Doha.
Gulf powerhouse Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, cut ties and transport links with Qatar in June 2017, alleging it backed radical Islamist groups and was too close to Riyadh's rival Iran -- claims Doha denied.
Ties were restored following a Gulf regional summit in early January.
Al Jazeera was caught up in a political rift between Cairo and Doha following the 2013 military ouster of Egypt's Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who was backed by Qatar.
Cairo considered Al Jazeera a mouthpiece for Morsi's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group, and access to its website has been blocked in Egypt since 2017.
Shortly after Morsi's ouster, authorities arrested three Al Jazeera journalists, including an Egyptian-Canadian and an Australian, provoking wide international condemnation. 
The three journalists, who faced accusations similar to those levelled against Hussein, were freed in 2015.
Australian journalist Peter Greste was deported and the two others were released after receiving pardons from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Rights groups regularly accuse Sisi's regime of crushing all forms of dissent and repressing political opponents. 
Under his rule, authorities have jailed thousands of Morsi's Islamist supporters as well as liberal and secular activists, including popular bloggers, actors, singers and journalists.

He was accused of publishing false news

Egypt has released from jail Al Jazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein, who had been detained for more than four years without formal charges or a trial

Egypt frees Jazeera journalist after 4 years jail: security

The UN secretary-general late Wednesday condemned recent violence in the Central African Republic (CAR), reiterating his call for a global cease-fire in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, his spokesman said.

Stéphane Dujarric said Antonio Guterres remains concerned about recent armed clashes and threats to civilians.
-He regrets the loss of human lives, the deterioration of the humanitarian situation, the forced displacement of over 200,000 persons, and the increased suffering of the population.-He reiterated that perpetrators of grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as serious crimes, including the killing of civilians and UN peacekeepers, must be held accountable.
He said Guterres has taken note of the final results of the first round of legislative elections, as proclaimed by the Constitutional Court on Feb. 1. A second round is scheduled for Feb. 14.
President Faustin-Archange Touadera was proclaimed winner, with 53% of votes in the Dec. 27 poll.
The situation in CAR, a landlocked country in central Africa worsened after the rejection of former president François Bozizé's candidacy for the presidential election.
Bozizé then joined hands with other armed groups, some of which were an off-shoot of the Séléka coalition that toppled him in 2013, plunging the country into instability.
The Democratic Opposition Coalition (COD-2020), comprising over a dozen of political parties, has announced its withdrawal from the current electoral process and its rejection of the results.

António Guterres urges all parties to immediately cease hostilities

UN chief calls for truce in Central African Republic

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed deliveries of the Sputnik V vaccine and finding a solution to the issue of Kosovo in a phone call Wednesday with his Serbian counterpart. 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić informed Putin about his assessment regarding the settlement of the Kosovo situation, taking into account his contacts with his foreign counterparts, the Kremlin said in a statement on its website.
-The Russian side confirmed its principled position on the development of a balanced solution to the Kosovo problem, which should be approved by the UN Security Council. It was noted that Serbia can count on Russia's support on this and other important issues- it said.
Putin and Vučić also agreed to expand cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, including further deliveries of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine to Serbia.

Russian, Serbian presidents also confer on deliveries of Sputnik V vaccine in phone call

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (L)

Putin, Vučić discuss situation in Kosovo

Myanmar’s military, which recently seized power in a coup, has decided to temporarily block access to Facebook.

In a statement posted online, the Communications and Information Ministry said state-owned telecom company MPT, the country's largest telecom operator, and private internet servers in the country were ordered to bar access to the social media site until Feb. 7.
The decision was taken to “ensure stability” in the country, it said.
-Currently, some individuals share false news and information on Facebook, causing misunderstandings before the public- it said.
Following the government's instructions, MPT, which has 23 million users, banned access to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, while other telecom companies blocked Facebook only.
Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed that the site could not be accessed in Myanmar.
Myanmar's military declared a state of emergency on Monday, hours after detaining ousted President Win Myint and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior members of the pre-coup ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
The coup took place hours before the first session of the country's new parliament was set to convene following elections last November in which Suu Kyi's NLD party made sweeping gains.
The military claimed the coup was staged due to "election fraud" in the polls, which it said resulted in the dominance of the NLD in parliament.

Southeast Asian nation's military government orders temporary shutdown to avoid 'misunderstandings before public'

Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed that the site could not be accessed in Myanmar

Myanmar blocks access to Facebook after military coup

Turkey’s foreign ministry on Thursday dismissed international criticism of its response to the month-long protests at one of the country’s top universities, warning that such criticism could encourage what it called illegal acts.

Students and teachers at Istanbul’s Bogazici University have protested President Tayyip Erdogan’s appointment of Melih Bulu, an academic and former political candidate, as rector. They say the process was undemocratic.
-We warn certain circles (abroad) not to use language provoking groups that resort to illegal ways and encourage illegal actions- the foreign ministry said without naming specific countries.
-It is nobody’s place to intervene Turkey’s internal affairs- it said in a statement.
The United States on Wednesday said it was concerned by the detention of students and other demonstrators, and condemned what it said was anti-LGBTQI rhetoric around the protests.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu referred to some of the student protesters as “LGBT deviants”, while Erdogan said on Wednesday there was “no such thing” as LGBT.
The United Nations Human Rights Office also called for an end to excessive use of force to students and protesters, condemning in a tweet “the homophobic &amp; transphobic comments by the officials”.

Students and teachers at Istanbul’s Bogazici University have protested President Tayyip Erdogan’s appointment of Melih Bulu, an academic and former political candidate, as rector

Riot police fire rubber pellets to disperse a gathering in solidarity with Bogazici University students who are protesting against the appointment of Melih Bulu as new rector of the university, in Istanbul, Turkey, February 2, 2021.

Turkey dismisses criticism of response to university protests

A lawyer for Donald Trump on Wednesday said it would be “idiotic” and “insane” to dispute the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election during his Senate impeachment trial, adding that the former U.S. president has not pressured him to make those arguments.


-Injecting that into a case that is already a winner would be idiotic- said Bruce L. Castor Jr, a recent addition to Trump’s legal team, in an interview with Reuters.
-It would be insane to do that- Castor said.
-Nobody has pressured me to make that defense- Castor added, saying Trump was happy with a brief filed by Castor and his co-counsel David Schoen on Tuesday.
The two defense lawyers are preparing for trial before the U.S. Senate beginning Feb. 9. The chamber will consider an article of impeachment passed by the House of Representatives charging Trump with inciting the deadly Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by his followers.
In their response to the charge on Tuesday, they argued that the Senate lacked authority to hold an impeachment trial for a president who has left office. Castor told Reuters that would be the primary defense argument.
Forty-five Senate Republicans backed a failed effort on Jan. 26 to halt Trump’s impeachment trial for that very reason, in a show of party unity that some cited as a clear sign he will not be convicted.
Democratic lawmakers said in a brief on Tuesday that Trump pointed a mob “like a loaded cannon” at Congress and should be barred from holding public office in the future.
Trump named Castor and Schoen as his lead counsel on Sunday after abruptly parting ways with a five-lawyer team he brought on to represent him.
A source familiar with the discussions said Trump had disagreed with his previous lead counsel, Butch Bowers, over strategy ahead of the trial. The president is still contending that he was the victim of mass election fraud in the Nov. 3 election won by President Joe Biden.
Castor said he did not plan to call defense witnesses unless the House Democrats prosecuting the trial call their own witnesses. He declined to say who Trump would call in that scenario.
Some congressional Republicans of Texas have said Trump should avoid rehashing his baseless theories about election fraud.
-I think it would be a disservice to the president’s own defense to get bogged down in things that really aren’t before the Senate- Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, told reporters on Monday.

The trial before the U.S. Senate will begin Feb. 9.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, in Washington, U.S, January 6, 2021.

Trump impeachment lawyer says would be 'idiotic,' 'insane' to rehash election fraud claims

Turkish troops operating in Syria’s northeastern Ras al-Ayn district distributed food and clothes to hundreds of needy families.

Turkey continues to look after weary families in the district which was cleared of YPG/PKK terror elements following the country’s anti-terror operations.
Mehmet Ali Parlak, the representative of Infak Association in Turkey's southeastern Sanliurfa province -- which sponsored aid items for Syrians -- said a total of 308 families benefited from the charity activities.
In order to boost the peace and security of the district, many facilities such as schools and mosques are built with the help of Turkey's armed forces and Turkish NGOs, which also distribute aid materials to people of the war-weary region.
Ras al-Ayn was liberated from YPG/PKK terrorists on Oct. 12, 2019 as part of Turkey's Operation Peace Spring. It was launched to secure Turkey's borders by eliminating the terror group from northern Syria, east of the Euphrates River, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees, and ensure Syria's territorial integrity.
The terrorists, however, continue attacks in Ras al-Ayn, and the nearby city of Tal Abyad, despite their withdrawal from the border area following negotiations between the US and Turkey on Oct. 17, 2019.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.

Food and clothes delivered for hundreds of families in Ras al-Ayn district of northeastern Syria

Turkey continues to look after weary families in the district which was cleared of YPG/PKK terror elements following the country’s anti-terror operations

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Turkish soldiers distribute aid to Syrians in need

World

All eyes on Washington as Trump second impeachment trial starts

US returning to UN Human Rights Council as observer

India asks Twitter to remove 1,178 accounts

Australian journalist arrested in China for 'supplying state secrets'

18 dead, 200 missing after Indian glacier disaster

Russia expels EU diplomats over Navalny protests, ties at 'low point'

COVID-19 cuts global air passenger traffic 66% in 2020

Ecuador set for general elections on Sunday

After Facebook ban, thousands in Myanmar take to Twitter

Egypt frees Jazeera journalist after 4 years jail: security

UN chief calls for truce in Central African Republic

Putin, Vučić discuss situation in Kosovo

Myanmar blocks access to Facebook after military coup

Turkey dismisses criticism of response to university protests

Trump impeachment lawyer says would be 'idiotic,' 'insane' to rehash election fraud claims

Turkish soldiers distribute aid to Syrians in need