Nominee for White House briefing role pulled over Gaza war stance

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard (pictured) decided against appointing a critic of Israel’s war in Gaza to a top government post over fears that doing so would anger members of President Donald Trump’s administration. (AFP)
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard (pictured) decided against appointing a critic of Israel’s war in Gaza to a top government post over fears that doing so would anger members of President Donald Trump’s administration. (AFP)
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Updated 13 March 2025

Nominee for White House briefing role pulled over Gaza war stance

Nominee for White House briefing role pulled over Gaza war stance
  • Daniel Davis called US support for Israel’s campaign a ‘stain on our character’
  • Senior Republicans opposed his appointment as deputy director for mission integration

LONDON: US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard decided against appointing a critic of Israel’s war in Gaza to a top government post over fears that doing so would anger members of President Donald Trump’s administration.

Daniel Davis, a senior fellow at the Defense Priorities think tank in Washington, was under consideration for the role of deputy director for mission integration, in charge of — among other things — putting together the president’s daily intelligence briefings.

However, a source within the administration told the New York Times that Gabbard reconsidered the appointment after Davis’s recommendation received criticism from several of her colleagues, Republican members of Congress, and other right-wing bodies and figures over his stance on Israel.

Davis wrote on social media in January that US support for the Gaza war was a “stain on our character as a nation, as a culture, that will not soon go away.”

On Wednesday, the Anti-Defamation League said his appointment would be “extremely dangerous.”

Marc Polymeropoulos, a former CIA operations officer, said Davis’s stance on the conflict ran contrary to mainstream Republican positions.

“His overt criticism of Israel and total opposition to any military action against Iran seems to run counter to current administration policy,” added Polymeropoulos, a fellow at the Atlantic Council.

The NYT reported that “allies” of Davis said there was “no hint of antisemitism or opposition to Israel in his work.”

Davis is known to be skeptical of US involvement in a number of overseas conflicts, in line with the position of Defense Priorities, which has called for less American involvement in the Middle East and an end to the war in Ukraine.

Davis has also been vocal about the suffering of Palestinians, calling plans to remove people from Gaza “ethnic cleansing.”

Gabbard is also a skeptic of US overseas intervention, and while she has said little about Gaza in recent months, Davis has been vocal on social media in supporting similar stances to her on conflicts such as Ukraine and the transition in Syria. 

However, the Trump administration is known to be split on foreign policy directions the president should pursue, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz known to be more hawkish, especially on US policy toward Iran.


Eurostar trains canceled, delayed after French network fault: operator

Eurostar trains canceled, delayed after French network fault: operator
Updated 3 sec ago

Eurostar trains canceled, delayed after French network fault: operator

Eurostar trains canceled, delayed after French network fault: operator
  • As well as the cancelations, passengers whose trains were running were experiencing major delays of up to two hours

PARIS: At least 17 Eurostar trains connecting Paris with London and continental Europe were canceled on Monday after an electrical fault on the high speed line in northern France, the train company said.
“Due to part of the track being temporarily closed on the French network, severe disruptions including cancelations are expected all day to and from Paris,” Eurostar said.
“We strongly advise all our passengers to postpone their journey to a different date,” it added.
As well as the cancelations, passengers whose trains were running were experiencing major delays of up to two hours.
French track network operator SNCF Reseau said teams were in place to diagnose the problem and carry out repairs.
It remains unclear what caused the incident on the train line between Moussy and Longueil in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France.
At least 17 Eurostar trains connecting London with Paris through the Channel Tunnel as well as Brussels and Amsterdam were canceled, it said.
A Paris-Brussels train and another Brussels-Paris train which left Monday morning had to turn back to their stations of origin, it added.
Those trains that were running were being directed by the SNCF along classic non-high speed lines.
Trains were starting to move again along the high-speed line from 1600 GMT but only on one track for both directions.
Disruption would persist until Monday evening and work would continue throughout the night to restore traffic to normal by the morning, SNCF said.
The incident is the latest to affect Eurostar services during the holiday season at a time when the company has faced criticism over its high prices, especially on the Paris-London route.
The theft of cables along train tracks in northern France had caused two days of problems at the end of June.
French operator SNCF has a majority shareholding in Eurostar, with Belgian railways, Quebec investment fund CDPQ and US fund manager Federated Hermes holding minority stakes.


UK summer storm sows travel chaos

UK summer storm sows travel chaos
Updated 04 August 2025

UK summer storm sows travel chaos

UK summer storm sows travel chaos
  • Meteorologists warned that gusts could reach a record-breaking 145 kilometers per hour
  • Several train operators in northern England and Scotland canceled services

LONDON: High-speed winds disrupted trains and blew over trees in Scotland and northern England where residents were advised against traveling as an “unusually” fierce summer storm hit the UK on Monday.
Meteorologists warned that gusts could reach a record-breaking 145 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour) as Storm Floris made landfall overnight.
The second-most serious amber wind warning was in place across swathes of Scotland as officials sought to minimize damage.
“Storm Floris is an unusually strong storm for the time of year,” the UK’s Meteorological Office said in a statement.
The Met Office said it was only the third time an amber wind warning had been issued in August since the system launched in 2011, adding some gusts in Scotland were “likely” to beat records.
Scientists say human-induced climate change is driving more intense and frequent extreme weather events around the globe, as the planet continues to warm.
Several train operators in northern England and Scotland canceled services, warning passengers not to make their journeys.
A tree was removed after it fell onto overhead railway wires in Glasgow, causing a fire, according to Network Rail Scotland. Multiple trees were also blown over in the northeastern Scottish region of Aberdeenshire, blocking roads.
In Scotland’s capital, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo marching parade was canceled and Edinburgh Zoo said it would be closed for the day.
Storm Floris is the second named storm to hit the UK this year, and the sixth one this storm season, which will run from early September 2024 to late August 2025.


Afghanistan has its ‘sharpest surge’ ever of child malnutrition, UN agency says

Afghanistan has its ‘sharpest surge’ ever of child malnutrition, UN agency says
Updated 04 August 2025

Afghanistan has its ‘sharpest surge’ ever of child malnutrition, UN agency says

Afghanistan has its ‘sharpest surge’ ever of child malnutrition, UN agency says
  • Almost 10 million people, a quarter of Afghanistan’s population, face acute food insecurity
  • Rise in child malnutrition was linked to a drop in emergency food assistance over the past two years

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan is seeing its sharpest-ever surge of child malnutrition, the World Food Programme said Monday, adding it needed $539 million to help the country’s most vulnerable families.

Almost 10 million people, a quarter of Afghanistan’s population, face acute food insecurity. One in three children is stunted.

The WFP said the rise in child malnutrition was linked to a drop in emergency food assistance over the past two years because of dwindling donor support. In April, the administration of US President Donald Trump cut off food aid to Afghanistan, one of the world’s poorest countries.

The US had been the largest funder of the WFP, providing $4.5 billion of the $9.8 billion in donations last year. Previous US administrations viewed such aid as serving national security by alleviating conflict, poverty, extremism and curbing migration.

Food insecurity in Afghanistan is being worsened by mass returns from neighboring countries, which are deporting foreigners they say are living there illegally.

The WFP said it has supported 60,000 Afghans returning from Iran in the last two months, a fraction of those crossing the border.

“Going forward, the WFP does not have sufficient funding to cover the returnee response at this time and requires $15 million to assist all eligible returnees from Iran,” said WFP Communications Officer Ziauddin Safi. He said the agency needs $539 million through January to help vulnerable families across Afghanistan.

Climate change is also hurting the population, especially those in rural areas.

Matiullah Khalis, head of the National Environmental Protection Agency, said last week that drought, water shortages, declining arable land, and flash floods were having a “profound impact” on people’s lives and the economy.


Russia urges caution in nuclear ‘rhetoric’ after Trump comments

Russia urges caution in nuclear ‘rhetoric’ after Trump comments
Updated 04 August 2025

Russia urges caution in nuclear ‘rhetoric’ after Trump comments

Russia urges caution in nuclear ‘rhetoric’ after Trump comments
  • Trump said he had ordered the deployment in response to what he alleged were highly provocative comments by Medvedev, saying the submarines would be positioned in “appropriate regions.”

MOSCOW: Russia urged caution on Monday after US President Donald Trump said he would deploy two nuclear submarines following an online row with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
Trump said he had ordered the deployment in response to what he alleged were highly provocative comments by Medvedev, saying the submarines would be positioned in “appropriate regions.”
Trump did not say whether he meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines.
He also did not elaborate on the locations, which are kept secret by the US military.
“Russia is very attentive to the topic of nuclear non-proliferation. And we believe that everyone should be very, very cautious with nuclear rhetoric,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including from AFP, on Monday.
The row between Medvedev and Trump erupted against the backdrop of the US leader’s ultimatum for Russia to end its military offensive in Ukraine or face fresh economic sanctions, including on its remaining trading partners.
Medvedev — one of Russia’s most prominent anti-Western hawks — accused Trump of “playing the ultimatum game” and said that Trump “should remember” that Russia was a formidable force.
“Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step toward war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country,” he said.
Medvedev, who has not posted on social media since the spat, is currently the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.
He served one term as president from 2008 to 2012, effectively acting as a placeholder for Putin, who was able to circumvent constitutional term limits and de facto remain in power.
The chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday backed Trump’s actions.
“The concept of peace through strength works,” Andriy Yermak wrote on social media.
“The moment American nuclear submarines appeared, one Russian drunk — who had just been threatening nuclear war on X — suddenly went silent.”


German interior ministry reviewing projects to treat children from Gaza

German interior ministry reviewing projects to treat children from Gaza
Updated 04 August 2025

German interior ministry reviewing projects to treat children from Gaza

German interior ministry reviewing projects to treat children from Gaza
  • The German cities of Hanover and Duesseldorf have said in recent days that they would accept children from the Gaza Strip and Israel who are particularly vulnerable or traumatized

BERLIN: Germany’s interior ministry is reviewing the feasibility of projects that would involving bringing children from Gaza to Germany for treatment, a ministry spokesperson said on Monday.
“The feasibility of such initiatives depends crucially on the security situation, the possibility of leaving the country, and other factors,” said the spokesperson.
The German cities of Hanover and Duesseldorf have said in recent days that they would accept children from the Gaza Strip and Israel who are particularly vulnerable or traumatized.
The ministry has not yet received any inquiries from German cities about the issue, the spokesperson said at a regular government press conference in Berlin.