‘No time to pull punches’: is a civil war on the horizon for the Democratic party?

Accusations and recriminations abound as Democrats try to figure out what went wrong after an electoral trouncing

oe Biden addresses the nation from the Rose Garden of the White House on 7 November 2024. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

The ObserverUS elections 2024

Joan E Greve in Washington

THE GUARDIAN

Sun 10 Nov 2024 

Joe Biden stood before the American people, millions of whom were still reeling from the news of Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential race, and reassured them: “We’re going to be OK.”

In his first remarks since his vice-president and chosen successor, Kamala Harris, lost the presidential election, Biden delivered a pep talk from the White House Rose Garden on a sunny Thursday that clashed with Democrats’ black mood in the wake of their devastating electoral losses. Biden pledged a smooth transfer of power to Trump and expressed faith in the endurance of the American experiment.


“Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable,” Biden said. “A defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up. That’s the story of America for over 240 years and counting.”


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The message severely clashed with the dire warnings that many Democrats, including Biden, have issued about the dangers of a second Trump term. They have predicted that Trump’s return to power would jeopardize the very foundation of American democracy. They assured voters that Trump would make good on his promise to deport millions of undocumented people. And they raised serious doubts about Trump’s pledge to veto a nationwide abortion ban.

Now as they stare down four more years of Trump’s presidency, Democrats must reckon with the reality that those warnings were for naught. Not only did Trump win the White House, but he is on track to win the popular vote, making him the first Republican to do so since 2004. Senate Republicans have regained their majority, and they appear confident in their chances of holding the House of Representatives, with several key races still too close to call on Friday morning.


The bleak outcome has left Democrats bereft, unmoored and furious when they previously thought this week would be the cause of joy and celebration. They are now heading into a brutal political wilderness with its current leaders tarnished by advanced age and a catastrophic defeat and a younger generation that is yet to fully emerge.

The party also faces a likely brutal civil war between its leftists and centrists over the best way forward – one that will be fought over the levers of power in the party at every level from the grassroots of all 50 US states to the crowded corridors of Congress in Washington.

The stark reality has left Democrats asking themselves the same question over and over again: how did we get here?

The hypotheses and accusations rose from whispers to shouts starting on Wednesday. Although a handful of Democrats suggested Harris should have done more to distance herself from Biden, few party members appeared to blame the nominee, who was credited with running the best possible campaign given her roughly 100-day window to close a considerable gap with Trump.

Some Democrats blamed Biden, who withdrew from the presidential race in July only after mounting pressure from his party after a disastrous debate performance against Trump. Jim Manley, who served as a senior adviser to the former Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, said that Biden never should have run for re-election.


“This is no time to pull punches or be concerned about anyone’s feelings,” Manley told Politico. “He and his staff have done an enormous amount of damage to this country.”

In an even more damning indictment, Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker who was applauded for her role in pressuring Biden to step aside, suggested the party should have held an open primary.

“Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race,” Pelosi told the New York Times on Thursday. “We live with what happened. And because the president endorsed Kamala Harris immediately, that really made it almost impossible to have a primary at that time. If it had been much earlier, it would have been different.”

View image in fullscreenA Trump supporter celebrates the results of the 2024 presidential election on 6 November in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photograph: Dave Decker/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock

A number of other senior Democratic aides complained to reporters – on background, without their names attached to the quotes – that Biden had put the party in a terrible position by not reckoning earlier with the widespread concerns over his age and unpopularity. (Biden would have been 86 at the end of his second term, while Trump will be 82 at the end of his.)

The White House pushed back against those gripes, framing Democrats’ losses in a much more global context. Incumbents have lost ground around the world in the past year, a trend that experts largely blame on the anger and disillusionment spurred by the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing high inflation it caused.

The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, cited this explanation during her press briefing on Thursday, while noting that Biden still believes he “made the right decision” in stepping aside.


“Despite all of the accomplishments that we were able to get done, there were global headwinds because of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Jean-Pierre said. “And it had a political toll on many incumbents, if you look at what happened in 2024 globally.”skip past newsletter promotion


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Despite those headwinds, Democrats wonder if their communication strategy could have prevented Republicans’ triumph. Leaders of the party are now debating the role of new media and how dominant rightwing influencers, particularly in the so-called “manosphere”, helped propel Trump to victory.

Left-leaning Van Jones posited that Democrats had focused too much on traditional media at the expense of cultivating a leftwing media ecosystem, saying in a Substack Live chat: “We built the wrong machine.”

Or perhaps Democrats’ failure to connect with the concerns of working-class voters cost them the White House, as progressives such as Senator Bernie Sanders argued.

“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic party which has abandoned working-class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” Sanders said in his post-election statement. “In the coming weeks and months those of us concerned about grassroots democracy and economic justice need to have some very serious political discussions.”

But who will lead those discussions? Biden will be 82 when he leaves the White House in January. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader who has now been demoted to minority leader, is 73. Pelosi is 84. Sanders, who won re-election on Tuesday, will be 89 by the time his new term ends.

The party must now look to a new generation of leaders, a pivot that many argue should have come earlier. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader who still holds out a distant hope of becoming speaker in January if his party can win a majority, might lead the way. Progressive Democrats will probably be looking to popular lawmakers like congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to shape the party’s future. Other rank-and-file members have pointed to Gavin Newsom, the California governor who is already trying to “Trump-proof” his state, as an example for resisting the new administration.

They will have a foundation to work from, party leaders assert. Although Trump’s victory was devastating to them, Democrats protected at least three and possibly five competitive Senate seats while mitigating Republican gains in the House. Even if House Republicans maintain control of the chamber, they will be forced to govern with a narrow majority that proved disastrous during the last session and could pave the wave for significant Democratic gains in 2026.

For now, though, the Democrats who poured their hearts and souls into electing Harris as the first woman, first Black woman and first Asian American woman to serve as president seem exhausted. They have spent most of the past decade warning the country about the dangers of Trump and his political philosophy only for a majority of American voters to send him back to the White House.

While Trump’s first electoral victory sparked a wave of outrage and protests among Democrats, his second win seemed met with a mournful sigh from many of his critics. Right now, Democrats are taking the time to grieve. And then, eventually, they will start to pick up the pieces of their party.

Lauren Gambino contributed reporting

BARBARISM

Bleeding and in pain, a woman endured a harrowing wait for miscarriage care due to Georgia's restrictive abortion law

THE STATE NOT THE COUNTRY

Avery Davis Bell was devastated when her long-awaited second pregnancy ended in miscarriage (Courtesy Avery Davis Bell via CNN Newsource)

Jen Christensen
CNN
Published Nov. 11, 2024 

In early October, Avery Davis Bell learned that she was about to lose the baby she and her husband very much wanted.

The 34-year-old geneticist had been hospitalized in Georgia after repeated episodes of bleeding, and she and her doctors all knew exactly what was needed to manage her miscarriage and prevent a life-threatening infection. They also knew why she wasn’t receiving that care immediately.

In an instant, the impacts of her state’s restrictive laws on abortion care became clear: Had Bell been bleeding from a car accident or a burst appendix, doctors could help her right away. Had she had a miscarriage in Boston, where she lived until 2020, doctors could snap into action. But because she was having a miscarriage in a hospital in Georgia, surgery had to wait.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision eliminated the federal right to abortion, miscarriage management has become trickier and in some cases, deadlier.

Many miscarriages take place at home without medical intervention, but cases like Bell’s can be treated with the same medicines or surgical techniques used for abortions.

Thirteen U.S. states have total or near-total abortion bans. Several others restrict it to certain points in pregnancy, including Georgia, which limits abortion to the first six weeks of pregnancy. Bell’s pregnancy was at 18 weeks — too early for her fetus to survive outside the womb but well past Georgia’s limit.

Doctors told Bell she’d have to wait, unless her condition grew worse: Georgia makes people wait 24 hours before they can have an abortion except in medical emergencies.

Bell switched into crisis mode.

“I was breathing, I was recording everything that was happening in my mind, and I was thinking ‘I just need to get through it,’” Bell said. “I even told my wonderful husband, who obviously was very sad when we got this news, I said, ‘I love you. We’re going to be sad, but right now I have to get through this medical emergency, and I’m sorry to ask you, but I need you to pull it together until I get through to this surgery.’ ”

Bell and her husband, Julian, endured an agonizing wait for her surgery (Courtesy Avery Davis Bell via CNN Newsource)

Bell said shedoes not blame her doctors at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. Rather, she blames the law itself.

When Georgia’s six-week abortion ban went into effect in 2022, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp promised pregnant women that the state was “ready to provide the resources they need to be safe, healthy, and informed.” But Georgia, which has long had one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the country, has also had at least two deaths of pregnant women who couldn’t access timely medical care or legal abortion.


It’s not the only state facing such issues. Texas enacted an abortion ban in 2021, and the rate of maternal deaths there increased 56% from 2019 to 2022, according to the Gender Equity Policy Institutes’ analysis of data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This year, a woman died after being told it would be a “crime” to intervene in her miscarriage at a Texas hospital, and a pregnant teenager died after trying to get care for pregnancy complications in three visits to Texas emergency rooms.

In states with abortion restrictions, the maternal death rate increased twice as fast between 2018 and 2020 than in states without such restrictions, according to a 2022 report from the Commonwealth Fund. The inequities have deepened racial and ethnic gaps in health outcomes, as women of color – particularly Black and Hispanic women – generally have higher maternal mortality rates.
A troubled pregnancy

Bell and her husband, Julian, could have stayed in Boston, where she got a doctorate in genetics and genomics from Harvard University and he got his degree from MIT. But Bell grew up in Georgia, and they wanted to move closer to family as they expanded their own.

They were thrilled to have their first child, a son, in 2021.

This July, she learned that she was pregnant again. When she was 12 weeks along, she told her son he’d soon have a sibling. He was ecstatic.

“He talked to the baby and hugged the baby every day in my tummy,” she said.

By September, Bell had begun having trouble with her pregnancy. Her condition was stable, but she was hemorrhaging. Doctors diagnosed a subchorionic hematoma, a condition that causes bleeding between the uterine wall and the amniotic sac. It often clears up on its own, but Bell said she had one of those rare cases where she continued to bleed.Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News, right at your fingertips

Doctors eventually advised Bell to go on bed rest. She said she left the house only to vote early and to make regular trips to the doctor.

But in early October, Bell’s bleeding got worse, and she had to take three trips to the hospital in two weeks.

At first, doctors told Bell that the baby was still doing well. On her second visit, they warned that if the bleeding didn’t stop, it could be too much for the fetus and dangerous for her own health.

At one point, she passed a clot the size of a dinner plate. She scooped it out of the toilet and put it in a takeout container to show the doctors.

“It was so scary,” Bell said.

On October 17, on her third trip to Emory, the doctor who had delivered her first child was on duty. She ran tests and told Bell that her water had broken and that her pregnancy needed to end.

“She’s been with us for a lot, and we got hugs,” Bell said. “You know when you get hugs from your doctor, it’s serious.”
Waiting periods and paperwork

Bell was crushed. She knew that at 18 weeks gestation, the fetus could not live outside the womb.

Her doctor called in a complex family planning specialist to help. A procedure called dilation and evacuation would be necessary to control the bleeding and clear out Bell’s uterus and prevent infection.

But because the fetus still had a heartbeat, the procedure would be an abortion. Georgia law criminalizes abortions past six weeks except when “necessary in order to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or the substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.”

The doctor “was telling me ‘because we’re in Georgia, we can’t move immediately to the surgery,’ ” Bell remembered.

Georgia’s 24-hour waiting period frightened and frustrated her.

“It’s just so hard because it’s a wanted pregnancy, to feel like this was really inevitable and that waiting period that I was put into made that harder,” Bell said. “We couldn’t just move from emergency to done. We just had to sit in limbo. My fetus is dying, and I am stable this second that I’m thinking this, but in 10 minutes I may not be, and that’s just a time no one should have to extend, that limbo.”

The law also required Bell to fill out paperwork she found distressing. It spelled out medical risks of abortion, the probable age of the fetus, the presence of a human heartbeat and details about potential economic support, had she been able to give birth.

“I had to sign a consent form for an abortion, which has some sort of garbage language about heartbeat and fetal pain and stuff that’s clearly put in for legislation reasons rather than scientific reasons,” Bell said.

The hospital transferred Bell – still bleeding and in pain – to another location that was better equipped to do the surgery but where she expected to wait again for doctors to figure out when they could schedule her procedure.

Later that day, tests showed that levels of oxygen-carrying hemoglobin in her blood had reached a dangerous low, putting her life at further risk. That new signal meant that doctors could finally help her.

Bell was grateful to finally get the care she needed but angry on behalf of her doctors, who she felt had not been allowed to use their best judgment.

“My doctor had over a decade of post-college education to be able to navigate those situations, and yet the law hamstrung her,” she said. “It makes doctors jump through hoops written by elderly men who have no medical knowledge and have an ideological position inconsistent with how biology works.”

Emory University declined CNN’s request for an interview but said in a statement, “Emory Healthcare uses consensus from clinical experts’ medical literature and legal guidance to support our providers as they make individual treatment recommendations in compliance with Georgia’s abortion laws, our top priorities continue to be safety and well-being of the patients we serve, no matter where patients or doctors live.”
‘We’re adding insult to injury with this law’

Dr. Sarah Prager, a fellow with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a professional organization that represents more than 26,000 physicians, says abortion laws like Georgia’s are inhumane.

“You have people who are not clinical weighing in on a medical decision, which is asinine,” said Prager, who was not involved in Bell’s care. “The whole purpose of modern medicine is to prevent illness, so to push people to the brink of death and pull them back because of some law is wrong, and if nothing else, we’re not always successful.

“It’s cruel, and it devalues the life and the health of the person,” she added.

There’s also an emotional toll that comes with prolonging the situation. It will take a while to heal physically and emotionally, said Bell, who had to get another iron infusion after the surgery and is only now starting to take walks again.

Eventually, she expects to create a scrapbook with her ultrasounds, the notes she got from friends and family, and a print of the tiny footprints that she got from the hospital. She hasn’t been able to look at those yet.

What’s left is a mix of emotions. The entire family is sad for the loss of the pregnancy. Bell and her husband still hope to have another child. And there’s anger that Georgia’s laws prolonged her painful experience.

“Even if everything had gone perfectly, this still would be one of the worst times of my life and the hardest times for my entire family,” she said. “And then we’re adding insult to injury with this law.”

Having family around her and having a science background made it easier to advocate for her care, she said. Her doctors reassured her throughout her hospitalization that they would not let her die. They treated her like a peer, communicating clearly and pushing to help her. But not everyone has the same circumstances, and she worries about others who miscarry in Georgia.

“I have immense, great gratitude for my doctors, sadness for our expected child and anger at the ways this was made harder for me and for my care team because of laws and policy that’s not based in biological reality,” Bell said. “Nobody should have to go through this.”

THE COUNTRY NOT THE U$ STATE

Thousands rally outside Georgian parliament to demand a new election towards European integration

Thousands of opposition supporters rallied Monday in Georgia’s capital in continuing protests against the ruling party’s declared victory in the October 26 parliamentary election amid allegations that Russia helped rig the vote.

People attend a rally to protest against alleged violations in a recent parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
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Front from left, Deputy Marshal of the Senate of Poland Michal Kaminski, member of French National Assembly Frederic Petit and member of Finnish Parliament Jukka Kopra attend a rally against alleged violations in a recent parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Deputy Marshal of the Senate of Poland Michal Kaminski speaks during a rally, protesting against alleged violations in a recent parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

BY SOPHIKO MEGRELIDZE
November 11, 2024

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Thousands of opposition supporters rallied Monday in Georgia’s capital in continuing protests against the ruling party’s declared victory in the Oct. 26 parliamentary election amid allegations that Russia helped rig the vote.

The protesters waved Georgian and European Union flags and gathered outside the Georgian parliament. They demanded a new parliamentary election under international supervision and an investigation into the alleged election fraud.

Giorgi Vashadze, leader of Unity National Movement Coalition, vowed that the opposition will “fight until the end.”

“Elections were massively rigged, that is why we don’t recognize election results,” he said. “Our goal is new elections, our goal is to form a new government, which will drive Georgia to European integration.”

Opposition leaders have vowed to boycott sessions of parliament and hold regular protests until their demands are met.
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The Central Election Commission said the governing Georgian Dream party won about 54% of the vote. Its leaders have rejected the opposition claims of vote fraud.

European election observers said the election took place in a “divisive” atmosphere marked by instances of bribery, double voting and physical violence.


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The opposition has accused Georgian Dream, which was established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow. It has recently adopted laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights.


President Salome Zourabichvili, who has rejected the official results, says Georgia has fallen victim to pressure from Moscow against joining the EU. Zourabichvili, who holds a mostly ceremonial position, has urged the United States and EU to support the demonstrations.

Officials in Washington and Brussels have urged a full investigation of the election, while the Kremlin has rejected the accusations of interference.

Many Georgians viewed the parliamentary election as a pivotal referendum on the country’s effort to join the EU. The EU suspended Georgia’s membership application process indefinitely because of its passage in June of a Russian-style “foreign influence law.”

Lawmakers from several EU nations attended Monday’s rally in a show of solidarity with protesters.

“Somebody is trying to take your freedom, somebody is trying to take your democracy, your country, your membership in EU and NATO,” Zygimantas Pavilionis, a Lithuanian parliament member, said at the rally. “Don’t give up. Fight for your freedom, fight for your democracy, fight for your country , fight for your membership in EU and NATO.”


Georgian president calls for new elections to resolve political crisis

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has called for new parliamentary elections in order to resolve a political crisis that followed last month's vote, which the opposition said was rigged in favour of the ruling party.


Issued on: 11/11/2024 
Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili at a march in support of Georgia's EU candidacy in Tbilisi, Georgia, 9 December 2023. On Monday she called for a new election following last month's vote, which the opposition said was rigged in favour of the ruling party. © Shakh Aivazov/AP

By:RFIFollow

"We are now facing a crisis," Zurabishvili said Monday at a press conference, where she called for "new elections so that Georgia could have a legitimate parliament, a legitimate government".

"Our friends are here to join us in seeking out ways to help Georgia emerge from this crisis," Zurabishvili said, referring to a group of MPs from eight European countries, including from France and Germany, who visited Georgia on Monday.

The pro-Western opposition has refused to recognise the results of the 26 October election, which the ruling Georgian Dream party said it had won by 54 percent.

Zurabishvili said the election was "controlled and manipulated by one party” and has accused Russia of interference.


The opposition has refused to enter the newly-elected parliament, which it deems "illegitimate."

A group of Georgia's leading election monitors said earlier that they had uncovered evidence large-scale electoral fraud that swayed results in favour of Georgian Dream.

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Tbilisi to protest the alleged fraud.

The European Union and the United States have called for a probe into what they called electoral "irregularities".

Ahead of the election, Brussels had warned the vote would determine Georgia's chances of joining the bloc.

(with AFP)

Aid to Gaza falls to lowest level in 11 months despite US ultimatum to Israel

PAPER TIGER'S EMPTY THREATS

US government wrote to Israel a month ago threatening sanctions if there was no increase in humanitarian supplies

Jason Burke in Jerusalem

Mon 11 Nov 2024 

THE GUARDIAN

The amount of aid reaching Gaza has dropped to the lowest level since December, official Israeli figures show, despite the US having issued a 30-day ultimatum last month threatening sanctions if there was no increase in humanitarian supplies reaching the territory.

The ultimatum was delivered on 13 October, so will expire on Tuesday or Wednesday. It is unclear what measures Israel’s apparent failure to fulfil US demands will trigger, but they may include a temporary halt to the supply of some munitions or other military assistance.


Only 8,805 tonnes of food aid has crossed through Israeli checkpoints into the territory so far this month.

In an apparent last-minute concession on Monday, Israeli authorities announced an extension of the designated “humanitarian zone”, adding inland areas which could partially relieve intense overcrowding and allow some displaced people to move away from the coast as winter approaches.


However, Israel appears to have ignored most of the demands made in a letter sent jointly by Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, and Lloyd Austin, the defence secretary, on 13 October.


Aid officials in Gaza describe the situation in much of the territory, where more than 80% of the population of 2.3 million have been displaced and more than two-thirds of buildings have been destroyed or damaged in 13 months of war, as “apocalyptic”.

“Almost nothing is getting in any more. The small street markets that sprung up have all gone. There’s a bit of flour, some washing-up liquid … a kilo of tomatoes costs nearly $20 [£16]. Even if you have money there is nothing to buy. Everyone is going hungry again,” said one UN official.

Israel imposed a total blockade of Gaza in the first weeks of the war, before gradually easing restrictions under international pressure. Deliveries of aid peaked in May, when 117,000 tonnes of food entered Gaza on more than 6,000 trucks. Tents, medicine and other vital supplies also reached the territory.

Statistics released by Cogat, the Israeli military authority charged with coordinating humanitarian aid for Gaza, show that only 25,155 tonnes of food aid entered Gaza in October, less than in any full month since December 2023.

In October, 57 trucks a day were allowed to cross into Gaza on average – far short of the 350 trucks a day demanded by the US and the 600 a day that aid agencies say are necessary to meet basic needs. So far, only 624 trucks have entered the territory in November, the Cogat statistics show.

It is unclear if the statistics include crossings on Sunday, when more than 170 trucks and fuel tankers entered Gaza, according to Cogat.

Israeli officials reject the charge that aid is deliberately restricted and accuse humanitarian agencies of failing to organise its distribution. UN logistics specialists in Gaza say Israeli military operations and general lawlessness often prevent them from collecting supplies, leaving hundreds of truckloads stranded at the border.

Humanitarian agencies also suffer from a shortage of drivers, communications equipment, protective gear and much else. Since May, only a tenth of more than 300 requests to Cogat to issue permits to individual drivers have been granted, UN officials said.

Coordination with the Israeli military authorities is also laborious and time-consuming, and many requests for convoys are turned down. In October, Israeli authorities directly denied or impeded 58% of aid movements, aid agencies said.

Lawlessness has led to systematic looting of about a third of all aid brought into Gaza, UN officials said. Some was taken by Hamas, which retains some influence in much of the territory, but most was stolen by criminal gangs for resale. Private commercial convoys have also been stopped.

The US has previously demanded that Israel allow in more aid but done little to enforce its requests, even reportedly ignoring its own agencies after they concluded that Israel had deliberately blocked deliveries of food and medicine to Gaza. US law requires that weapons shipments be cut off to countries that prevent the delivery of US-backed aid.

Last week, the US state department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, said Israel had made some progress by announcing the opening of a new crossing into central Gaza and approving new delivery routes, but said it must do more. “It’s not just sufficient to open new roads if more humanitarian assistance isn’t going through those roads,” he said.

The most acute crisis is in the far north of Gaza, where the towns of Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya have been under a month-long siege. The Israeli military has said it is rooting out Hamas militants who have regrouped in the area and have been carrying out hit-and-run attacks from tunnels and bombed-out buildings. The military has surrounded the area with checkpoints, ordering residents to leave. Many Palestinians fear Israel aims to depopulate the north in the long term.

“People in north Gaza have got nothing. Every single day from 3 October to end of month, UN asked to take stuff into Jabaliya, but [was] turned down,” said one UN official in Gaza.

Last week, a committee of global food security experts known as the IPC warned of a “strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas” of northern Gaza.

Cogat denied there was a risk of famine, saying that previous projections by the IPC had proved incorrect and relied on partial, biased data. Israeli officials say they also successfully facilitated a polio vaccination campaign across Gaza, which reached 94% of the target population of 600,000 children under the age of 10.

“There is a glaring gap between the reality on the ground and the distorted declarations that some NGOs have been stating about Israel,” Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, told the Jerusalem Post.

The conflict in Gaza was triggered by a surprise Hamas attack into southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians, and 250 abducted. Since then, more than 43,500 have died in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, more than half women and children.

Mauritius prime minister accepts 'huge defeat' in election

ANOTHER INCUMBENT FALLS

Danai Nesta Kupemba in London & Yasine Mohabuth in Port Louis
BBC News

AFP
Pravind Jugnauth said he respects the people's choice


The prime minister of Mauritius has accepted that his coalition, L'Alliance Lepep, has suffered a "huge defeat" following Sunday's parliamentary election.

"The population has decided to choose another team," Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, 62, told journalists on Monday.

Jugnauth was seeking a second five-year term, but his main rival, Navin Ramgoolam, 77, leader of the Alliance of Change coalition, looks set to become the next leader of the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Mauritius is known as one of Africa's most stable democracies, but this election was tainted by a phone-tapping scandal, with leaked recordings of public figures posted online.
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In response, the government issued a social media ban until after the election, although this led to an outcry and the decision was reversed within 24 hours.Is this tiny Mauritian island a confidential spy station?
A simple guide to Mauritius

Final results are yet to be released but Ramgoolam's party looks set to win.

Ramgoolam, a former doctor, told reporters that his party was "heading towards a huge victory", but didn't go into any further detail as he said all votes must be counted first.

"We must respect this choice... and we wish the country and the population good luck," said Jugnauth.

The mood in the capital Port Louis reflects this changing tide, as people gathered in hopeful anticipation of results that signal a fresh direction for the country.

BBC/Yasine Mohabuth
Opposition supporters are already celebrating victory

People were dancing and singing in the streets with vuvuzelas, the national flags in their hands and fire crackers.

Ibrahim, who voted for the Alliance for Change told the BBC that "growing public dissatisfaction" was a major reason the ruling party lost.

The cost-of-living crisis has been a major issue for many Mauritians, along with a growing concern about governance and corruption.

On the campaign trail, both parties promised to improve the lives of people on the islands.

Ramgoolam - whose father was a liberation hero and has already twice served as prime minister - said he would increase pensions, introduce free transport and internet and reduce fuel costs.

Mauritius' former foreign minister and a member of the opposition coalition, Arvin Boolell, told the BBC Newsday programme the election was a "victory of the people".

Voter turnout was about 80%, according to the electoral commission.

Citizens went to the polls to elect lawmakers for the 62 seats in parliament for the next five years.

Additionally, up to eight "best loser" seats are allocated to ensure fair ethnic representation in parliament.

The vote comes after a historic agreement in which the UK gave up sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Mauritius opposition leader claims sweeping vote win

By AFP
November 12, 2024

Mauritius opposition leader Navin Ramgoolam said Tuesday that his alliance had won a crushing election victory over the governing coalition, after the incumbent prime minister conceded he faced a “huge defeat”.

Ramgoolam, a two-time former prime minister, told crowds of jubilant supporters in his constituency that his Alliance of Change had made a clean sweep of parliamentary seats on the island of Mauritius in Sunday’s vote.

“I hope PKJ resigns soon. He was beaten 60-0,” Ramgoolam said, referring to Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.

“The power of the people is stronger than a dictatorship,” the 77-year-old added to boisterous cheers and blaring horns.

There were 60 National Assembly seats up for grabs on the island of Mauritius and another two on Rodrigues. The remaining eight are allocated under what is dubbed the “best loser” system.

The winner-takes-all election model means single coalitions often dominate the 70-seat parliament in the Indian Ocean archipelago.

If confirmed, it would be the third time since Mauritius became independent from Britain in 1968 that there has been a 60-0 score, media reports said.

Final official results are expected Tuesday after the election in what is considered one of Africa’s richest and most stable democracies.

Jugnauth had said Monday that his Lepep alliance, led by his Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), was “heading towards a huge defeat”.



– Wire-tapping scandal –



Only last month, Jugnauth, who has been in office since 2017, was celebrating a historic deal that saw Britain cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after a long-running dispute.

But the vote was overshadowed by an explosive wire-tapping scandal, when secretly recorded phone calls of politicians, diplomats, members of civil society and journalists were leaked online.

During the campaign, both camps promised to improve the lot of ordinary Mauritians who face cost-of-living difficulties despite robust economic growth.

Measures outlined in the Alliance of Change manifesto include the creation of a fund to support families facing hardship, free public transport, increased pensions and reduced fuel prices, as well as efforts to tackle corruption and boost the green economy.

It also called for constitutional and electoral reforms including changing how the president and parliament speaker are chosen.

The majority-Hindu nation has seen substantial stability and growth since independence, building an economy based on tourism as well as financial services and textile manufacturing.

Gross domestic product per capita in 2022 was more than $10,000, according to the World Bank. But analysts have highlighted growing concerns about governance and corruption as well as the need to diversify the Mauritian economy.

Both Jugnauth and Ramgoolam are members of the dynasties that have dominated the leadership of Mauritius since independence.

Ramgoolam, who previously worked as a doctor and a lawyer, served as prime minister between 1995 and 2000 and again from 2005 to 2014.

He is the son of Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, who led Mauritius to independence from Britain in 1968.

Several teams sent to observe the legislative election — the 12th since independence — are due to issue their verdicts on Tuesday.

Indian Prime Minister Navendra Modi was the first foreign leader to publicly congratulate Ramgoolam, who is of Indian ancestry.

“I wished him great success in leading Mauritius and extended an invitation to visit India. Look forward to working closely together to strengthen our special and unique partnership,” Modi posted on X on Monday.

Thousands march in far-right rally to mark Poland's Independence Day

Warsaw rally saw people carrying anti-EU, anti-Ukraine and white supremacist banners

Thomson Ruters · Posted: Nov 11, 2024 


People shout slogans during the Independence March to mark the 106th anniversary of Polish independence, in Warsaw, Poland on Monday. 

(Martyna Niecko/Agencja Wyborcza.pl/Reuters)

Tens of thousands of Poles including nationalist opposition chiefs walked through Warsaw on Monday in an annual Independence Day event held by the far right, some shooting red flares and carrying anti-EU, anti-Ukraine and white supremacist banners.

Thousands carried red-and-white Polish flags on Monday, while some chanted "White Europe of brotherly nations!" or "Stop the European Union!" or carried banners reading "Stop mass migration" or "Stop turning Poland into Ukraine."

Some expressed their support for U.S. president-elect Donald Trump by waving his election campaign flag or the U.S. national flag.
WATCH | Far-right nationalists hold Independence Day march in Poland's capital:




Far-right nationalists hold Independence Day march in Poland's capital
13 hours ago
Duration1:10Thousands of people attended an annual Polish far-right Independence Day demonstration in Warsaw. People in the crowds carried anti-European Union and white supremacist banners, while others praised the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president.


"I wish such events would become available all across Europe, especially now after Trump's victory," a person in the crowd from Warsaw said.

Another participant, John, a 58-year-old from Arizona, said he brought a pro-Trump flag because "he is very popular in Central Europe and people love Trump here."

Police said they detained 75 people and seized banned items from participants, including pyrotechnic materials, knives, telescopic batons and brass knuckles.
Friction between liberals, conservatives

The march has become a point of friction between Poland's hard-right and conservatives on one hand and on the other, the liberal centre, in power since a general election last year ended eight years of nationalist rule.

The far-right Confederation party, whose politicians are among the event organizers, appears to have edged up since the election, now polling at around 12 per cent, mirroring gains in parts of Europe in an anti-migration backlash.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the conservative Law and Justice party (PiS), which governed Poland from 2015-2023 and is seeking a comeback, joined the march with other party members.

Analysis

Pro-Europe, civic rights coalition wins in Poland, but change will be hard

Poland has a near-total abortion ban. Lawmakers have taken 1st steps to possibly lifting it

Sooner or later, every NATO country will have to meet defence spending target, says Polish PM

The government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk has been in power since December, but its leftist and centre-right junior coalition members are struggling in opinion polls amid infighting over key campaign issues such as a return of abortion rights.

While both the nationalist PiS party and the Tusk coalition staunchly support Ukraine in its war against Russia, with the backing of the majority of Poles, some are frustrated by the influx of refugees from their eastern neighbour.

Warsaw authorities said some 90,000 people took part in the march, while organizers put the attendance at around 200,000.

Monday marked the 106th anniversary of Poland's restored independence at the end of the First World War after more than a century of being partitioned and ruled by Russia, Germany and Austro-Hungary. The date of Nov. 11 carries powerful weight for a nation where the trauma of losing national sovereignty endures.
President calls for sustained U.S. support

Polish President Andrzej Duda marked Independence Day with a call for sustained U.S. commitment to Europe's security in view of Russian aggression in the region, and argued that Ukraine's pre-2014 borders should be restored.

Duda, who has had friendly relations with Trump, said in a speech in Warsaw that Europe will continue to need U.S. protection.

"It is a pipe dream — as some people think — that Europe can ensure its own security today," Duda said.

AnalysisAs it loses ground to Russia, Ukraine greets Trump win with public praise and private worry

Weighing on the minds of many is the war across Poland's border in Ukraine, and an expectation that Donald Trump's return to the White House will bring a change in the security situation in the region.

Some fear Trump could end the U.S. commitment to NATO, or make a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin that could result in a permanent loss of territory for Ukraine and encourage Russia to attack other nations. Others believe Trump could persuade Putin to stop the fighting.

Later at a news conference, Duda said he had spoken to Trump and that they would meet before the inauguration in January.

With files from The Associated Press

Italian judges strike another blow against Meloni’s Albania asylum deal

Far-right government angrily condemns ruling that seven men detained in Albania must be transferred to Italy


Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo

THE GUARDIAN

Mon 11 Nov 2024 

Italian judges have ordered seven men detained in a migration hub in Albania to be transferred to Italy, in another blow to a controversial deal between the far-right Rome government and Tirana aimed at curbing the arrival of asylum seekers.

The men arrived at the Albanian port of Shëngjin aboard a military vessel on Friday after being rescued in international waters while trying to make their way to Europe.

The Italian government had argued that all should be returned to their “safe” home countries of Egypt and Bangladesh. One man who had originally formed part of the group was already taken to Italy after he was deemed vulnerable.

Monday’s ruling marked the second time that Italian judges have ordered the return of people from the hub in Albania to Italy, further raising questions about the EU’s plans to establish migration processing and detention centres outside the bloc.


Italy’s government, led by Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy, angrily condemned the judges’ decision on Monday, blaming “politicised magistrates” who “would like to abolish Italy’s borders”.

“Another political sentence, not against the government, but against Italians and their security,” said the deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini.

Under the deal, men from countries deemed “safe” and intercepted in international waters while attempting to cross from Africa to Europe are supposed to be held in Albania while their asylum claims are processed. The scheme, which excludes women, children and vulnerable individuals, could process up to 3,000 men a month.

However, since the hubs were opened on 11 October only 24 people have arrived in Albania in total and, after Monday’s ruling, all will have been transferred to Italy on the order of judges who have ruled they cannot be sent back to their countries of origin.

Aid workers and opposition parties attacked the Italy-Albania deal, hailed by far-right leaders and others in Europe as a potential blueprint for the future of migration, as a “complete failure” and “financial disaster” on Monday.

“This is the story of a failure, of the inability or lack of willingness to manage the phenomenon,” said Laura Boldrini, an MP for the Democratic party and a former spokesperson for the United Nations high commissioner for refugees for southern Europe.

“I hope that Giorgia Meloni at least feels great embarrassment for these people who are being bounced around like ping-pong balls for a game that is purely propagandistic. Far from being a model for Europe, this is a boomerang. The migrant facilities in Albania serve no purpose other than to humiliate migrants used as puppets.”

The judges’ rulings that the 24 men should be transferred to Italy in effect support a previous ruling of the European Union’s court of justice (ECJ) which the Italian government was accused of disregarding.

Only people coming from a list of 18 nations Italy classified as “safe” can be sent to Albania. Egypt and Bangladesh are among them, but the ECJ ruled that a country outside the bloc could not be declared safe unless its entire territory was deemed safe.

The bill for the initiative, which NGOs have labelled “inhumane, absurd and a costly system that breaches international human rights obligations”, is estimated at about €1bn (£830m) over five years.

The Albania deal row has exacerbated the already tense relations between the government and the judiciary, with the justice minister, Carlo Nordio, attacking the magistrates. “The definition of a safe country cannot be [left] up to the judiciary,” he said.

Toxic smog in Pakistan is so bad you can see it from space
 
By Helen Regan and Sophia Saifi, 

CNN
 Mon November 11, 2024

A cyclist rides along a street engulfed in thick smog, in Lahore on November 10, 2024. Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images
CNN —

Record-breaking levels of thick, toxic smog that have shrouded eastern Pakistan and northern India since last month can be seen in striking satellite imagery.

A huge cloud of gray smog blankets Pakistan’s Punjab province and stretches out east into India, over the capital New Delhi and beyond, satellite imagery from NASA Worldview shows.

The pollution has forced authorities in Pakistan to close schools and public spaces as the acrid smog threatens the health of tens of millions of people.

Images from the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Multan this weekend show the dark haze engulfing streets and blocking buildings from view.

Pollution in the region ramps up each winter, when an ominous yellow haze blankets the skies due to a combination of farmers burning agricultural waste, coal-fired power plants, traffic and windless days. Air quality worsens in the winter because colder and drier air traps pollution, rather than lifting it away, as warm air does when it rises.

Satellite imagery from NASA Worldview shows heavy smog over Pakistan’s Punjab province and parts of northwest India on November 10, 2024, compared to the same region on August 31, 2024. NASA Worldview/CNN

Though major South Asian cities suffer with poisonous smog each year, officials in Pakistan’s second biggest city Lahore have characterized this season as unprecedented.

On Monday, the city’s air quality index was above 1,200, a level considered “hazardous,” according to IQAir, which tracks global air quality. A reading above 300 is considered hazardous to a person’s health.

The air quality index in parts of Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province of 127 million people, has exceeded 1,000 multiple times in the past week, according to IQAir.

In the Punjab city of Multan on Monday, the reading for the tiniest and most dangerous pollutant, PM2.5, was more than 110 times higher than safe levels set by the World Health Organization.

When inhaled, PM2.5 travels deep into lung tissue where it can enter the bloodstream. It comes from sources like the combustion of fossil fuels, dust storms and wildfires, and has been linked to asthma, heart and lung disease, cancer, and other respiratory illnesses, as well as cognitive impairment in children.

Hospitals and clinics in Pakistan have become inundated with patients suffering from the effects of pollution, with Punjab health officials saying more than 30,000 people have been treated for respiratory ailments in smog-hit districts, according to the Associated Press.

A vendor carries a basket of radishes across a railway track engulfed in smog in Lahore on November 8, 2024. Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images

Patients are treated at a hospital due to poor air quality in Lahore, Pakistan, on November 8, 2024 Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images

Traders and customers at a wholesale fruit market engulfed in smog in Lahore on November 8, 2024. Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images

Pakistan’s Environmental Protection Agency said Sunday there was “an unprecedented rise in the number of patients with lung and respiratory diseases, allergies, eye and throat irritation” in the districts of Faisalabad, Multan and Gujranwala, where average air quality levels were “alarmingly hazardous.”

Schools and government offices had already been ordered to close until November 17, including in the provincial capital Lahore. On Friday, Punjab authorities shuttered all parks, playgrounds, museums, zoos and historical sites in 18 districts for 10 days.

New restrictions on Monday extended the ban to all outdoor activities including outdoor sports events, exhibitions, festivals, and outdoor dining at restaurants, in four districts including Lahore. Markets, shops and malls are to close by 8 p.m. local time, with exceptions for pharmacies, gas stations and essential food and medical stores, according to the EPA.

The fresh restrictions are designed to keep people at home and avoid unnecessary travel that could put their health at risk, Sajid Bashir, EPA spokesperson told AP.

Of particular concern are children who are among the most vulnerable because their bodies, organs and immune systems are still not fully developed.

The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, warned that more than 11 million children under the age of 5 are exposed to smog in the worst-affected districts.

“As smog continues to persist in Punjab province, I am extremely concerned about the well-being of young children who are forced to breathe polluted, toxic air,” UNICEF’s representative in Pakistan Abdullah Fadil said. “Young children are most affected by air pollution because they have smaller lungs and lack the immunities that come with age.”

Khuram Gondal, Save the Children Pakistan’s country director said as well as disrupting their education, “air pollution and hotter temperatures are leading to life-threatening dangers for children, including difficulty breathing and higher risk of infectious diseases.”

‘We have no other option.’ Women take dip in holy river filled with toxic foam

He urged the government to “urgently address air pollution” and find long-term solutions to the annual problem.

Last week, officials in Punjab drafted a letter to the Indian government to open a dialogue on the issue.

Punjabi Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Raja Jahangir Anwar told CNN there was a need for “climate diplomacy, as a regional and global issue.”

Millions of people die each year from air pollution-related health issues. Air pollution from fossil fuels is killing 5.1 million people worldwide every year, according to a study published in the BMJ in November, 2023. Meanwhile, WHO says 6.7 million people die annually from the combined effects of ambient and household air pollution.

The climate crisis will only make pollution worse as extreme heat becomes more severe and frequent, scientists say. Climate change is altering weather patterns, leading to changes in wind and rainfall, which also affect the dispersion of pollutants.

A report published earlier this year found that the world consumed record amounts of oil, coal and gas last year, pushing planet-heating carbon pollution to a new high.

UN warns that toxic smog in Pakistan’s Punjab province is endangering children

A commuter train moves with headlights as smog envelops the area of Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

By The Associated Press

Posted Nov 11, 2024 

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The U.N. children’s agency on Monday warned that the health of 11 million children in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province is in danger because of air pollution that experts say has become a fifth season in recent years.

Toxic smog has shrouded Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore and 17 other districts in Punjab since last month. Health officials say more than 40,000 people have been treated for respiratory ailments.

UNICEF’s representative in Pakistan, Abdullah Fadil, in a statement urged the government to make urgent and greater efforts to reduce air pollution for the 11 million affected children under the age of 5 and others.

“Prior to these record-breaking levels of air pollution, about 12% of deaths in children under 5 in Pakistan were due to air pollution,” Fadil said. “The impact of this year’s extraordinary smog will take time to assess, but we know that doubling and tripling the amount of pollution in the air will have devastating effects, particularly on children and pregnant women.”

Pakistan has shut schools until Nov. 17 in parts of Punjab as part of measures aimed at protecting children’s health. Authorities on Friday ordered the closure of all parks and museums for 10 days, and they have been urging people to avoid unnecessary travel.

According to the Environmental Protection Department in Punjab, Multan remained the most polluted city on Monday, with air quality index readings of about 800. Anything over 300 is considered hazardous to health.

Though the government has ordered the mandatory wearing of face masks, that has been widely disregarded. The government has also said it was looking into methods to induce artificial rainfall to combat the pollution.

The Associated Press

Ukrainians in Calgary feeling uneasy about what Trump victory means for ongoing war
President-elect's promise to end war stirs up concern and uncertainty


Lily Dupuis · CBC News · Posted: Nov 11, 2024 

In light of Donald Trump's upcoming return to the Oval Office, some Ukrainian expats are concerned how the president-elect will deliver on his promise to end the war. (Carolyn Kaster/The Associated Press, Andrew Lee/CBC)

War forced Tetiana Usenko to flee to Calgary from Ukraine nearly a decade ago, but her thoughts rarely stray far from her homeland.

She runs a Ukrainian deli in southeast Calgary, a busy shop that draws customers from across the city seeking comfort foods like holubtsi (cabbage rolls), nalysnyky (crepes with a creamy cheese filling), or their bestselling medivnyk (honey cake).

There's not been much comfort these days, however, for Usenko and thousands of other Ukrainians who have arrived in the city as the conflict with Russia continues.

Usenko says the frontline is getting closer and closer to her hometown.

Now, Usenko says she's saying goodbye to "my buildings, my home, my hometown," because she's seen what has transpired in every town occupied by Russian soldiers, describing it as "demolition."

"Every day has shootings … innocent people killed," she said.

Another development for Ukrainians in Calgary to absorb is the coming change in the White House.

Kalyna Store, a Ukrainian deli in southeast Calgary, has a sign on the door that reads 'people who support Putin and war, you are not welcome here,' in bold and capital letters. 'Slava Ukraini,' meaning glory to Ukraine, is written in Ukrainian. 

(Terri Trembath/CBC)

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has been an outspoken backer of Ukraine in the war, providing a flow of aid and weapons, as well as gathering support among other Western countries to establish sanctions against Russia.

The U.S. remains — by far — the biggest donor country to Ukraine, sending more than $55 billion US in military equipment since the end of January 2022.

Now, things feel far less certain with the election of Donald Trump.

Fear and hope greet Trump's presidential victory among Ukrainians, Palestinians in Manitoba

Trump's victory has left Ukrainians worried, says refugee living in N.L.

Trump has said he would end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours, but he has not explained how he would do it. This makes people like Usenko nervous, as she calls it an "impossible promise."

"Trump tried to do some speaking with Putin, but Putin broke all of [his] promises, every time," she said, describing the Republican leader's election victory as "not optimistic" for Ukrainians.

Usenko left her country in 2015, in the early days of the Russo-Ukrainian War, following Russia's invasion and subsequent annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

The 2014 land takeover is widely regarded as the move that set the stage for the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. In February 2022, the war escalated as Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine.
WATCH | Ukrainian-Calgarian business owner concerned over Trump's win:


Calgary Ukrainian sees more fear than hope in a Trump presidency
4 days ago
Duration1:50President-elect Donald Trump had a big promise on the campaign trail: end the war between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours. Ukrainian Calgarians watching from afar are anxious to see how it all will unfold.

With the former U.S. president's pending return to the Oval Office, Usenko wants to see an end to the fighting, but she fears a resolution brokered by the Trump administration will deeply impact her friends, family and the future of Ukraine's independence.

While Trump hasn't laid out a plan for what a resolution would look like, his election running mate, now vice-president-elect, JD Vance suggested during a September podcast interview the conflict could be frozen along its current battle lines, with Russia keeping the Ukrainian territory that has been captured.

Vance, a Republican senator from Ohio, has been a vocal opponent of U.S. aid to Ukraine since the outset of the invasion, going so far as to say, "I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other," during a February 2022 interview.
Trump says U.S. must 'get out' of Ukraine and will remain 'stuck' unless he wins election

That's why Denys Ruban, who moved to Canada with his wife and daughter in 2012 from Kyiv, Ukraine's capital city, believes "people are very concerned how they will [end the war]."

"The only way we can see … is stop supporting Ukraine, and then Ukraine will not be able to defend itself."

Smoke rises in the sky above the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the aftermath of a Russian drone strike on Nov. 7. (Gleb Garanich/Reuters)

Ruban is one of the administrators of a Facebook group with nearly 24,000 members called Ukrainians of Calgary, which he says was started in 2022 to help Ukrainian newcomers fleeing the invasion get settled by connecting them with resources, like how to get a driver's licence or a SIN number.

In the days leading up to last week's U.S. election, Ruban created a Facebook poll in the group, asking who people would vote for if they were in the United States. Although unscientific, he says about 75 per cent of respondents said they would vote for current U.S. vice-president and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris if they could.
Trump's 24-hour promise 'pure rhetoric'

Trump's promise to end the war in 24 hours is something one international affairs expert calls "pure rhetoric." However, Andrew Rasiulis believes ending the war is a high-priority item and something that could be accomplished within the first 100 days of Trump's presidency.

"I think the Trump administration will fast-forward the conclusion," said Rasiulis, a fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and a retired official with Canada's Department of National Defence.

According to Rasiulis, a resolution under a Trump presidency wouldn't vary greatly from a Kamala Harris one, other than perhaps reaching a deal sooner into his term.

Rasiulis said Ukraine is in a tough spot, but "it's not Trump who's putting them there — they're there, and Trump is simply exposing it more readily than the Democrats were."
WATCH | Russian President congratulates Trump's victory:


Putin congratulates Trump, suggests he’s open to ideas on Ukraine
4 days ago
Duration2:11

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Donald Trump on his U.S. election victory and suggested Russia is ready to hear ideas on ending the war in Ukraine. Putin also said he was impressed with how Trump handled himself while being shot at a rally.




When it comes to what a resolution could actually look like, Rasiulis doesn't believe negotiations are off the table, but ultimately the outcome is still unknown.

AnalysisAs it loses ground to Russia, Ukraine greets Trump win with public praise and private worry

Back at her deli, Usenko said she wants all people to feel welcome but doesn't want to debate anyone who supports Putin or the war. A sign on the door says as much, adding "Slava Ukraini," a sort of rallying call meaning glory to Ukraine. Usenko is unafraid to make her stance known.

Usenko hopes her shop can be a place of connection to Ukrainian culture. It serves as a reminder of the people and places that may be physically far away but are held close to the hearts of Ukrainians living in Calgary.

When you come to her store, she said, people see "products from [the] homeland," and they'll hear the staff speaking Ukrainian and know that it's a safe place for everybody.