WORLD BRIEFING: February 11, 2024
Republican front-runner Donald Trump said Saturday that, as president, he warned NATO allies that he “would encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to countries that are “delinquent” as he ramped up his attacks on foreign aid and longstanding international alliances. Speaking at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, Trump recounted a story he has told before about an unidentified NATO member who confronted him over his threat not to defend members who fail to meet the trans-Atlantic alliance’s defense spending targets. But this time, Trump went further, saying had told the member that he would, in fact, “encourage” Russia to do as it wishes in that case. “‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’” Trump recounted saying. “‘No I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills” - AP
Hungarian President Katalin Novak has resigned after coming under mounting pressure for pardoning a man convicted as an accomplice for helping cover up a sex abuse case in a children’s home. “I made a mistake … Today is the last day that I address you as a president,” she said in a speech broadcast on state television. “I made a decision to grant a pardon last April, believing that the convict did not abuse the vulnerability of children whom he had overseen. I made a mistake as the pardon and the lack of reasoning was suitable to trigger doubts over the zero tolerance that applies to paedophilia,” she added. At least 1,000 people protested in the country’s capital on Friday, demanding her resignation. Hungarian opposition parties had also demanded she leave office - Al Jazeera
The party of the imprisoned former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, won the most seats in parliamentary elections this week, delivering a strong rebuke to the country’s powerful generals and throwing the political system into chaos. While military leaders had hoped the election would put an end to the political turmoil that has consumed the country since Mr. Khan’s ouster in 2022, it has instead plunged it into an even deeper crisis, analysts said. Never before in the country’s history has a politician seen such success in an election without the backing of the generals — much less after facing their iron fist. In voting on Thursday, candidates from Mr. Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or P.T.I., appeared to win about 97 seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, the country’s election commission reported on Saturday. The military’s preferred party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, or P.M.L.N., led by a three-time former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, won at least 73 seats, the commission said. Only seven seats were left unaccounted for — not enough to change the outcome as reported by the commission - NYT
At least 7 people, including a baby and two children - aged four and seven - were killed in an overnight Russian drone attack on Kharkiv Ukraine, the regional head Oleh Syniehubov said. Visibly emotional, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said "the Russian aggressor is ruining our city"
The American-made Patriot missile system is likely responsible for the Russian Il-76 plane crash, American officials anonymously told The New York Times. The plane was also likely carrying at least some Ukrainian prisoners, officials reported. Russia's Il-76 military transport plane crashed in the country's Belgorod region on Jan. 24, allegedly killing everyone on board. The cause of the crash is unclear, with Russia claiming that Ukraine's military shot the plane down as it carried 65 Ukrainian POWs. Ukraine's military intelligence agency did not confirm whether prisoners were on the plane nor have they commented on what might have caused the crash. Although American officials have been unable to confirm who was on the plane, sources told the NYT that it appeared probable that at least some of the passengers were Ukrainian prisoners.
People living in the isolated north of Gaza have told the BBC that children are going without food for days, as aid convoys are increasingly denied permits to enter. Some residents have resorted to grinding animal feed into flour to survive, but even stocks of those grains are now dwindling, they say. People have also described digging down into the soil to access water pipes, for drinking and washing. The UN has warned that acute malnutrition among young children in the north has risen sharply, and is now above the critical threshold of 15%. The UN's humanitarian coordination agency, Ocha, says more than half the aid missions to the north of Gaza were denied access last month, and that there is increasing interference from Israeli forces in how and where aid is delivered. It says 300,000 people estimated to be living in northern areas are largely cut off from assistance, and face a growing risk of famine - BBC
UN chief Antonio Guterres says half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population “is now crammed into Rafah with nowhere to go”, warning the displaced “have no homes” and “no hope”. At least 28,064 people have been killed and 67,611 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.
The UNRWA secretary general, Phillippe Lazzarini, denied that the agency was aware that there was a Hamas tunnel under its headquarters in Gaza City. In a post on X, he added that UNRWA was unable to "confirm or otherwise comment" on the reports made by the IDF earlier on Saturday regarding the existence of the tunnel, as well as weapons found inside the headquarters. “UNRWA staff left its headquarters in Gaza City on 12 October following the Israeli evacuation orders and as bombardment intensified in the area," Lazzarini noted. "We have not used that compound since we left it, nor are we aware of any activity that may have taken place there” - Haaretz
