Supreme Court's Clarence Thomas defends luxury trips
US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has said he believed luxury trips taken with a billionaire Republican donor were "not reportable".
A ProPublica report earlier this week reported Mr Thomas had accepted vacations from real estate mogul Harlan Crow nearly every year for two decades.
Supreme Court justices are required to file annual disclosures of gifts.
Mr Thomas said that he had been led to believe that "this sort of personal hospitality" did not apply.
According to ProPublica, the trips included several on Mr Crow's luxury yacht and private plane, as well as a week spent every summer in the Adirondack mountains.
Israel launches airstrikes in Lebanon and Gaza Strip after ‘biggest rocket salvo since 2006’
Rocket fire from Gaza and Lebanon and second Israeli raid on al-Aqsa mosque stoke fears of further escalation
Israeli jets hit sites in Lebanon and Gaza early on Friday, in retaliation for rocket attacks it blamed on the Islamist group Hamas, as tensions following police raids on the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem this week threatened to spiral out of control.
Two explosions were heard in Gaza late on Thursday. It was not immediately clear what had been targeted but Israel said its jets hit targets including tunnels and weapons manufacturing sites of Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the blockaded southern coastal strip.
Gupta brothers: UAE rejects South Africa extradition request
South Africa has learned with "shock and dismay" that the United Arab Emirates turned down the extradition of Atul and Rajesh Gupta, who are accused of organizing corruption on an industrial scale.
A court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has dismissed South Africa's request for the extradition of brothers Atul and Rajesh Gupta, who face charges of political corruption, South African Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said on Friday.
"We learnt with shock and dismay that the extradition hearing had been concluded in the Dubai Court on the 13 February 2023 and our extradition request was unsuccessful," Lamola said in a statement.
The ultra-wealthy brothers ran a sprawling family business empire in South Africa for more than two decades after immigrating to the country from India.
Parts of GSDF helicopter found in Okinawa; crew still missing
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
April 7, 2023 at 18:40 JST
Parts of a crashed Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter were found off the coast of Miyakojima island in Okinawa Prefecture, but the 10 people aboard the aircraft remain missing, officials said April 7.
Patrol vessels of the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Naha have discovered several floating objects, including a slide door bearing the words for “GSDF” and an unused folded emergency lifeboat with a serial number that matched the one carried by the missing UH-60JA multipurpose helicopter.
Other parts were apparently rotor blades and pieces from the front body of the aircraft, the officials said.
Some of the objects were shown to the media later in the day.
Spike in anti-Muslim rallies since BJP retook India’s Maharashtra
The recent Ram Navami festival was the latest concerted attempt to ignite religious tensions in India’s richest state.
On March 30, nearly 5,000 people poured into the streets of north Mumbai to participate in a procession celebrating the Hindu festival of Ram Navami, which marks the birth of the god, Ram.
For about three hours, the procession passed through Muslim neighbourhoods, blaring incendiary songs of Hindu supremacy, waving saffron flags and provocatively chanting “Jai Shri Ram” (Hail Lord Ram, the Hindu right wing’s war cry).
Young and old danced to the high-decibel speakers mounted on a truck, playing “Bharat ka bachcha bachcha, Jai Shri Ram bolega” (Every child in India will be compelled to say Hail Lord Ram).
What is the Good Friday Agreement? How a historic deal ended the Troubles in Northern Ireland
US President Joe Biden will visit Belfast, Northern Ireland, next week to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA), a peace deal that brought an end to decades of sectarian violence on the island of Ireland known as “the Troubles.”
A lot has changed since 1998, when the deal was reached, but the accord lives large in the imaginations of European and American citizens as a masterstroke of international cooperation that at one time seemed impossible.
What were the Troubles in Northern Ireland?
The Troubles is the term used to describe sectarian violence that took place in Northern Ireland, which led to more than 3,500 deaths and even more casualties. Horrific terrorist attacks were carried out by members of paramilitary organizations, as were acts of brutality by police and army officers.
Conflict between Republicans (supporters of a united Ireland, who were from largely Catholic communities) and Unionists (Protestants who were loyal to the United Kingdom) had existed for centuries. But it was the 1921 partition of Ireland – which created Northern Ireland – that some see as a major turning point.
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