Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has fired most of the governors in the occupied West Bank

WASHINGTON U.S. President Joe Biden has spoken with family members of 14 Americans unaccounted for after attacks by

WASHINGTON The U.S. Senate secured enough votes on Thursday to open debate on a temporary government funding bill

Donald Trump supporters and right-wing media outlets are incorrectly claiming that the federal government is seeking the death penalty as part of its four-count indictment against the former president for allegedly seeking to overturn the 2020 election. After the charges were announced on Tuesday, the claims quickly spread across conservative corners of the Internet. Mr Trump’s Truth Social platform sent users an alert that read “New charges against Trump carry DEATH PENALTY,” while conservative influencer Dinesh D’Souza claimed on X the alleged death sentence “proves how scared they are of Trump!” One MAGA Internet personality wrote on social media, “This is how you start a war.” A spokesperson for the special counsel’s office told The Independent these claims are “not accurate.” “The indictment does not contain the special findings required,” the DoJ official said. The misinterpretation stems from one of the federal statutes that prosecutors are accusing Mr Trump of violating, Section 241 of Title 18 of US Code. As The Independent has reported, the law is part of a landmark set of provisions passed in the brutal aftermath of the Civil War to prosecute those who sought to deprive the civil rights of newly enfranchised Black Americans. The punishment for violating this section, according to the Department of Justice, is a felony and up to 10 years in prison. That penalty can be extended to life in prison or death if the government “proves an aggravating factor (such as that the offense involved kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse, or resulted in death)”, per the DoJ. Five people, a mix of police officers and rioters, did die during the January 6 insurrection, but, as The Washington Post noted, nowhere in the lengthy indictment against Mr Trump are prosecutors arguing the former president is responsible for any such aggravating circumstances. (Police officer Michael Byrd, who shot January 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt, was cleared of wrongdoing by the DoJ and the Capitol police in April of 2021, and two of the men who attacked Brian Sicknick, a Washington police officer who died during the insurrection, have been sentenced to prison.) Rather, the DoJ is alleging that Mr Trump and his associates knew he lost the election, but launched a multi-part conspiracy to hold onto power anyway, a scheme that included spreading false claims, attempting to send false slates of electors to Washington, and pressuring officials to meddle with the election certification process. The scheme was largely focused on a handful of counties in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Wisconsin, all of which have large communities of Black and Latino voters, who tend to vote for Democrats. “The attack on our nation’s capitol on January 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy,” special counsel Jack Smith said Tuesday in a press conference describing the indictment. “As described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies. Lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the US government – the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.” As Sean Morales-Doyle, director of the voting rights and elections programme at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law, told The Independent, the civil rights statute in question has been used to prosecute officials for attempting to alter election results in the past. He pointed to the example of the 1915 case US v Mosley, where Oklahoma officials were punished for trying to exclude votes from a final tally. “If you read that case, you’d never be able to tell that it’s about race. And there’s not a word about race mentioned, but that’s really the story underlying it,” Mr Morales-Doyle told The Independent. “And that’s really, throughout our nation’s history, the battle over our democracy. The battle over the right to vote has not always but pretty consistently also been a fight that has race at its heart,” he added. “And that’s true now still, and I think it is an overlooked thread underlying much of the story about Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election.” Prosecutors may not be arguing Mr Trump caused conduct worthy of the death penalty, but the former president’s sentencing still will be a delicate issue. "Possible jail time for Donald Trump if he’s convicted of one, some, or all the criminal cases is a fascinating but speculative business," former federal prosecutor Michael McAuliffe told Newsweek. "As for the federal cases charging Trump with crimes, the sentencing guidelines – which assign numerical values to various factors to create a range for a presumptive sentence – will prove inadequate." In regards to Mr Trump, both "the crimes and the defendant are singular.” Alex Woodward contributed reporting to this story. Read More Trump’s election fraud claims were always bogus. Will his history of lies finally catch up to him? Why Trump is charged under a civil rights law used to prosecute KKK terror Donald Trump due in court charged with ‘conspiracy to defraud United States’ Trump supporters claim special counsel seeking death penalty in indictment Trump supporters view the latest indictment as evidence of a crime — against Trump Selection of Thailand’s new prime minister delayed again, to await court decision on election winner

QUITO Ecuador's economy ministry said on Wednesday that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved a $500 million loan

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It was the most tantalizing of victories. Despite inflicting the most crushing defeat in half a century on the opposition, Greece's center-right Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected Monday to seek a second national election within weeks, as he lacks the majority in Parliament to govern alone. With 99.55% of the votes counted early Monday, Mitsotakis' New Democracy party won 40.79% — twice the leftwing main opposition Syriza's 20.07%. Socialist Pasok came in third at 11.46%. The margin far outstripped pollsters' forecasts and was the biggest since 1974, when Greece's first democratic elections were held after the fall of the seven-year military dictatorship. But the one-off proportional representation system in effect Sunday means ND only gains 146 of Parliament's 300 seats, five short of a governing majority. The new elections, expected in late June or early July, will revert to the previous system that grants the first party a bonus of up to 50 seats. That would ensure Mitsotakis a comfortable majority for a second term in power. Later Monday, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou is due to hand Mitsotakis the mandate to try to form a coalition government — which he is expected to return. Hours after voting ended Sunday, the 55-year-old prime minister said he would “follow all constitutional procedures” but strongly implied he would not engage in coalition talks. “Without a doubt, the political earthquake that occurred today calls on us all to speed up the process for a definitive government solution so our country can have an experienced hand at its helm as soon as possible,” he said. Mitsotakis had long suggested he would not seek a coalition partner whatever the election outcome, advocating instead the stabilizing effect of strong, undivided governance. If Mitsotakis hands back the mandate, it will then pass to Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras, and then to Pasok leader Nikos Androulakis — neither of whom have any realistic chance of success. Each will have a maximum of three days to try to form a coalition. Once all options are exhausted, a senior judge will be appointed caretaker prime minister and new elections called. Tsipras, 48, called Mitsotakis on Sunday night to congratulate him. “The result is exceptionally negative for Syriza,” he said in initial statements. “Fights have winners and losers.” Tsipras, who was prime minister from 2015 to 2019, said his party would gather to examine the results and how they came about. “However, the electoral cycle is not yet over,” he said. “We don’t have the luxury of time. We must immediately carry out all the changes that are needed so we can fight the next crucial and final electoral battle with the best terms possible.” Mitsotakis, a Harvard-educated former banking executive, came to power in 2019 on a promise of business-oriented reforms and has vowed to continue tax cuts, boost investments and bolster middle-class employment. He has been credited with Greece’s successful handling of the pandemic and of two crises with neighboring Turkey, while overseeing high growth and job creation after the end of Greece's 2009-2018 financial crisis, but a wiretapping scandal and a railway disaster damaged his ratings. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide AP News Digest 3 am Greece prime minister Mitsotakis hails election victory as ‘political earthquake’ Polls open in Greece's first election since international bailout spending controls ended

Group of Seven nations aim to send a signal to China this month by announcing a joint effort

In another era, a Republican frontrunner facing his second indictment in three months would mean that primary voters would actively be shopping for other candidates to put up against a president as unpopular as President Joe Biden. Instead, former president Donald Trump’s indictment, which he announced on Thursday evening and which was unsealed on Friday, calcified his support among Republican voters at the North Carolina Republican Convention in Greensboro. If anything, the 37-charge indictment accusing Mr Trump of showing highly classified information to unauthorised persons on two separate occasions made Republicans in the Tar Heel State more likely to support him. “After yesterday?” Beverly Atwell of Forsyth County asked in response to a question from The Independent about who she was leaning towards. “Trump.” Ms Atwell said what happened to Mr Trump was “terrible.” “Everybody needs to support him,” she said. “What Joe Biden has done, only somebody like Trump can fight.” Terry Stafford, an attendee, said the indictment would not affect his vote either way. “I know they’re just making s*** up,” he told The Independent. “If they wanted to show us how true they were, Biden would have been arrested for his crimes.” Friday should have been all about Mr Trump’s main rival for the Republican nomination, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis. Mr DeSantis addressed a packed house for the Old North State Dinner at the Koury Convention Center. The super PAC that supports Mr DeSantis called Never Back Down had a booth on the third floor of the building. One campaign button being sold showed Mr DeSantis telling Mr Trump, “hold my beer.” The convention is meant to be a cattle call for the top Republican presidents. Former vice president Mike Pence will speak there on Saturday afternoon during a luncheon and Mr Trump will deliver one of his first speeches since his indictment in the evening after he speaks at the Georgia GOP’s state convention earlier in the day. Alan Pugh of Randolph County told The Independent that the GOP had a wide array of qualified candidates, citing not just Mr Trump and Mr DeSantis but also Sen Tim Scott of South Carolina and Gov Doug Burgum of North Dakota. But he said that Mr DeSantis had received much of the talk. “I think the reason is, simply the fact that his record in Florida,” he said, noting how Mr DeSantis went from narrowly winning his first race to winning re-election by almost twenty per cent and carrying the Hispanic vote. “People like whoever you want to, but we’ve got to win. And DeSantis is a winner.” But Mr Trump dominated the discussion. Even Mr DeSantis spoke about the Department of Justice “weaponising” itself against conservatives, though he didn’t mention the former president by name. “Our Founding Fathers would have absolutely predicted the weaponisation of these agencies, particularly Justice and the FBI, because if we don’t have constitutional accountability, human nature is such that they will abuse their power,” he said. He also criticised the Justice Department for not indicting former secretary of state Hillary Clinton for using a private email server during her tenure as secretary. “Is there a different standard for a Democrat secretary of state versus a former Republican president,” he said. “I think there needs to be one standard of justice in this country.” Republican presidential candidates find themselves in a bind in that they now have to simultaneously show their support for the twice-impeached and now twice-indicted former president and make the case that they are a more optimal choice. Even Mr Pugh, who praised Mr DeSantis, said that even though he was not committed to any candidate, the charges helped Mr Trump “because he’s being attacked by our own government.” “Our own Justice Department,” he said. “That infuriates me as a lawyer.” Republicans will likely continue to feel pressure to show solidarity with Mr Trump. Charlie Kirk, the chief executive of Turning Point USA, tweeted that every Republican should suspend their campaign and go down to Miami to show support for Mr Trump. “Either we have an opposition party or we don't,” he said. “GO to Miami Tuesday, and show solidarty or we will mark you as part of the oppsition [sic].” The predicament many Republicans face is personified by one poster in one of the booths at the convention centre which featured a quote from Ronald Reagan showing his 11th commandment: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” Read More DeSantis pledges to restore name of notorious Confederate general Braxton Bragg to Fort Liberty Florida man: Why prosecutors charged Trump in the Sunshine State, and what it means for the judge and jury Trump indictment: Ex-president kept nuclear and military papers and showed some to unauthorised people Hiding documents from the FBI and foreign nuclear plans: Key allegations in Trump’s unsealed indictment Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? 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Israeli drones have struck targets in a stronghold of militants in the occupied West Bank and hundreds of troops are deployed in the area

Hundreds of refugees and migrants are feared missing after a fishing vessel carrying them from Libya capsized and sank off the southern coast of Greece. At least 79 were earlier confirmed dead in the accident that occurred early Wednesday, while officials now fear scores more may have drowned as rescue operations continued on Thursday. The exact number of people on the boat has become the subject of speculation, with some Greek officials claiming it carried as many as 600 people. This is the deadliest turn of events off the country’s coast since the height of the 2015 migration crisis. “It’s one of the biggest operations ever in the Mediterranean,” Greek coastguard spokesman Nikos Alexiou told state broadcaster ERT TV. “We won’t stop looking,” he said. Rescuers have so far saved 104 passengers, including Egyptians, Syrians, Pakistanis, Afghans and Palestinians. Mr Alexiou told local media on Thursday that all survivors are men. One of the dead, however, is a woman, said local reports. “No other survivor has been found [besides the 104 rescued yesterday] and the bodies [recovered] also remain 79,” he added. Caretaker Greek prime minister Ioannis Sarmas declared three days of national mourning on Wednesday night and said their thoughts were with “all the victims of the ruthless smugglers who exploit human unhappiness”. “There has been a dramatic rise in the death count, which is climbing by the hour,” one Greek official said on Wednesday. “Speculation is rife that as many as 600 people were onboard but that has not been confirmed. The ship is under the water. It has sunk.” Ioannis Zafiropoulos, deputy mayor of the port city of Kalamata, where survivors were taken, said there were “more than 500 people” on board. ERT TV reported that Charity Alarm Phone, which operates a trans-European network supporting rescue operations, said it received alerts from people on board a ship in distress off Greece late on Tuesday, saying 750 people were on board. However, it said that the spokesman for Greece’s caretaker government, Ilias Siakantaris, said reports that the vessel was carrying 700-750 people could not be confirmed. “We do not know what was in the hold... but we know that several smugglers lock people up to maintain control,” he said. On Thursday morning, Greek coastguard spokesman Mr Alexiou said it appeared the vessel capsized after people abruptly moved to one side – shifting the centre of gravity of the 25-30-metre vessel. “The outer deck was full of people, and we presume the interior [of the vessel] would also have been full. It looks as if there was a shift among the people who were crammed on board, and it capsized.” Eight people had been transferred to the central Port Authority of Kalamata for preliminary investigation by late Wednesday, said reports. In Kalamata on Thursday, there were tents set up for the rescued people and provisions for soup kitchens as well. The ship capsized in international waters, about 47 nautical miles (87km) southwest of Pylos off the Peloponnese coast, as it made its way to Italy. The Greek coastguard learned about the boat’s engine failure shortly before 2am, the shipping ministry said. Coastguard vessels, a navy frigate, military transport planes, an air force helicopter and an array of private craft were searching for survivors on Thursday. Reports said search and rescue efforts were hampered by strong winds. “The engine stopped and it sank in minutes,” one of the survivors was quoted as saying. Greek president Katerina Sakellaropoulou visited the area where rescued migrants were being tended to and political parties called off planned campaign events ahead of national elections later this month. The Italy-bound boat is believed to have sailed from eastern Libya’s Tobruk area. It was spotted heading north at high speed, according to the Greek coastguard. Coastguard officers tried to approach the vessel after receiving a request for help, it said at around 2am, then “saw the boat take a right turn, then a sharp left, and then another right so big that it caused the vessel to capsize”. Repeated calls to the vessel offering help were declined, the coastguard said in a statement. “In the afternoon a merchant vessel approached the ship and provided it with food and supplies, while the [passengers] refused any further assistance,” it said. A second merchant ship that approached it later offered further supplies and assistance which were turned down. About 72,000 refugees and migrants have arrived so far this year in Europe’s frontline countries Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta and Cyprus, according to UN data, with the majority landing in Italy. Meanwhile, it was reported that the rescued people who were taken to the hospital in Kalamata were battling hypothermia, fainting incidents and dehydration. “We are witnessing one of the biggest tragedies in the Mediterranean, and the numbers announced by the authorities are devastating,” Gianluca Rocco, head of the Greek section of UN migration agency International Organisation for Migration (IOM), said on Wednesday. “This situation reinforces the urgency for concrete, comprehensive action from states to save lives at sea and reduce perilous journeys by expanding safe and regular pathways to migration.” The IOM has recorded more than 21,000 deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean since 2014. Additional reporting by agencies Read More Charities say new Italian rules will limit rescues at sea A look at migration trends behind the latest shipwreck off Greece Greece says it's investigating claim migrants were illegally deported back to Turkey After long waits, new pilgrims prepare for Hajj's return, the first major one since COVID-19 Huge search seeks survivors of migrant boat sinking off Greece; hundreds feared missing After long waits, new pilgrims prepare for return of Hajj, the first major one since COVID-19