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US House of Representatives to hold impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump

Nancy Pelosi announced formal impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump on charge of seeking foreign help to smear Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of next year’s election.

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United States of America’s House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi with Donald Trump

United States of America’s House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday, Sep 24, announced a formal impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump over allegations of seeking foreign help to smear Democratic rival Joe Biden ahead of next year’s election.

The move came after mounting pressure from fellow Democrats, plunging a deeply divided nation into an election year clash between Congress and the President.

Pelosi, who for months had been reluctant to embrace an impeachment effort, said, “The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law.”

In a deeply divided country, the inquiry means there would be highly partisan fight in Congress and a polarised presidential campaign in coming months.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the inquiry after a closed-door meeting with Democratic lawmakers, saying Donald Trump’s actions undermined national security and violated the US Constitution.

Trump, who was meeting with world leaders at the United Nations, previewed his defense in an all-caps tweet: “PRESIDENTIAL HARRASSMENT!”

He called the inquiry “Witch Hunt garbage”.

Pelosi’s change of heart followed reports that Donald Trump had pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July 25 phone call to investigate Biden, the Democratic presidential front-runner, and his son Hunter, who had worked for a company drilling for gas in Ukraine.

In the days before the call, Trump ordered advisers to freeze $400 million in military aid for Ukraine — prompting speculation that he was holding out the money as leverage for information on the Bidens. Trump has denied that charge, but acknowledged he blocked the funds.

Donald Trump promised on Tuesday to release a transcript of his phone call. He has acknowledged he discussed Biden in the call, but denied he withheld nearly $400 million in US aid to Ukraine as leverage to get Zelenskiy to launch a probe that would damage Biden, who leads opinion polls in the Democratic presidential race.

Pelosi said the six congressional committees currently investigating Donald Trump would continue with their probes as part of the inquiry.

The panels would work collaboratively, and then decide whether the House Judiciary Committee should draft articles of impeachment, according to media reports quoting House aides.

“The actions of the Trump presidency revealed a dishonourable fact of the president’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections,” Pelosi said.

Congressional allies of Donald Trump accused Pelosi of playing politics with the decision.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called it “a rush to judgement”, saying it should have waited until after details of the phone call were revealed. “It simply confirms that House Democrats’ priority is not making life better for the American people, but their nearly three-year-old fixation on impeachment,” he said.

The impeachment inquiry could eventually lead to Donald Trump’s removal from office, although that would be a steep task for Democrats. Even if the Democratic-controlled House voted to impeach Trump, the Republican-majority Senate would have to take the next step of removing him from office after a trial. A conviction would require a two-thirds Senate majority.

It will be the first impeachment inquiry in Congress since the 1998 probe of President Bill Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice in relation to his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

The House voted to impeach Clinton in December 1998, but the Democratic president was acquitted two months later by the Senate and remained in office.

The only other president to be impeached, Andrew Johnson in 1868, was also acquitted by the Senate. President Richard M Nixon resigned in 1974 after the House initiated impeachment proceedings but before an official vote, stepping down rather than face the embarrassment of such a rebuke.

Biden said he would back impeachment if the president did not fully comply with congressional investigations. “If we allow a president to get away with shredding the Constitution, that will last forever,” Biden told reporters in Wilmington, in his home state of Delaware.

Most Democratic presidential contenders support an impeachment inquiry, including US Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar; former US Representative Beto O’Rourke; South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; and former US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro.

But the move carries a risk of backfiring on Democrats if voters believe they are overreaching, as it did on House Republicans who unexpectedly lost seats in the 1998 elections after pursuing impeachment against Clinton.

Donald Trump has proven particularly resilient since taking office in January 2017, withstanding repeated scandals and retaining strong support from Republicans.

He promised to release a “complete, fully declassified and unredacted” transcript of the July 25 Ukraine call on Wednesday.

Democrats are also seeking the original complaint about Donald Trump’s call, filed by a whistleblower within the US intelligence community, as well as information on deliberations over the Ukrainian aid.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said his panel was communicating with an attorney representing the whistleblower and that the individual would like to testify this week.

The White House had refused to hand over the whistleblower’s complaint to Congress. But an administration official said late on Tuesday it was now preparing to release it by the end of the week and most likely allow the whistleblower to meet with congressional investigators.

The Senate approved a resolution on Tuesday calling for the complaint to be submitted to the Senate and House Intelligence committees. The House will vote on a similar resolution on Wednesday.

Donald Trump said the transcript would show the Ukraine call was “totally appropriate”, that he had not pressured Zelenskiy to investigate Biden and that there had been no “quid pro quo” for US aid in exchange for a probe.

Donald Trump has produced no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden or his son.

“When you see the readout of the call, which I assume you’ll see at some point, you’ll understand. That call was perfect. It couldn’t have been nicer,” Donald Trump told reporters at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Donald Trump indicated there was nothing sinister about withholding the aid to Ukraine but he wanted Europe and not just the United States to step up and provide Ukraine assistance.

The money was later released by the Trump administration. Trump told reporters he had wanted the money for Ukraine frozen, but changed his mind after “people called me.”

Latest Science News

Sunita Williams set to return home after nine-month ISS stay

NASA has confirmed the return of astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore after a prolonged nine-month stay on the ISS, with splashdown scheduled off Florida’s coast.

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Sunita Williams

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, the two U.S. astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for over nine months, are finally set to return to Earth. NASA has scheduled their splashdown for Tuesday evening (EDT), off the Florida coast aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

NASA advances return schedule

Initially planned for Wednesday, NASA moved up the return to 5:57 pm EDT on Tuesday (3:27 am IST, Wednesday). The decision was made to allow for a smooth crew transition while ensuring a safe return before unfavorable weather conditions develop later in the week.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will also be aboard the Crew Dragon as it makes its descent. The hatch closure preparations will begin on Monday evening, and the entire journey back will be streamed live.

The nine-month ordeal

Williams and Wilmore have been on the ISS since June, far beyond their expected mission duration. Their extended stay was due to propulsion issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which was deemed unfit for the return journey.

Originally designed as a short round-trip, their mission ended up lasting three months longer than a standard six-month ISS rotation. While this is much shorter than the record 371-day stay by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio or the world record 437-day stay by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov, the sudden extension forced them to receive additional clothing and supplies.

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Latest world news

PM Modi criticizes UN, calls for global reforms on Lex Fridman podcast

PM Modi criticized international organizations like the UN for their inability to address global conflicts, calling for reforms and a shift towards cooperation.

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PM Modi speaking on Lex Fridman’s podcast

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strongly criticized the United Nations and other international organizations, labeling them as “almost irrelevant” in addressing current global conflicts. Speaking on American scientist Lex Fridman’s podcast, PM Modi underscored the lack of reforms in these institutions and their failure to maintain global order amid ongoing wars and geopolitical tensions.

PM Modi’s remarks on UN’s inefficiency

PM Modi pointed out that despite the existence of international organizations, those who disregard laws and regulations continue to act unchecked. “The international organizations that were created have become almost irrelevant, there is no reform in them. Institutions like the UN cannot play their role. People in the world who do not care about laws and rules are doing everything, no one is able to stop them,” he said.

The Prime Minister emphasized that lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic should have led to a shift towards global unity, but instead, the world has moved further into instability and conflict.

“Covid-19 has exposed the limitations of all of us… It seemed that the world would learn something from it and move towards a new world order. But unfortunately, instead of peace, the world entered a phase of uncertainty, and wars only worsened the situation,” he added.

Call for cooperation over conflict

PM Modi asserted that expansionism and unilateralism cannot work in an interconnected and interdependent world. He stressed that nations must collaborate rather than engage in conflicts.

“As I said earlier, the world is interdependent, interconnected… Everyone needs everyone, no one can do anything alone. And I see that in all the different forums I have to go to, everyone is worried about conflict. We hope to get relief from it very soon,” he stated.

Last year, PM Modi, during the UN’s ‘Summit of the Future,’ had also called for urgent reforms, stating that global actions must align with global ambitions.

India’s push for a permanent UNSC seat

India has long argued for its inclusion as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), citing the need for structural reforms. New Delhi believes the UNSC, founded in 1945, does not reflect contemporary geopolitical realities.

Currently, the UNSC consists of five permanent members—Russia, the UK, China, France, and the US—who hold veto power, and ten non-permanent members elected for a two-year term. While the UK, France, and the US have expressed support for India’s bid, structural reforms remain a roadblock.

With global conflicts escalating, PM Modi’s remarks have once again brought attention to the inefficacy of international institutions, reinforcing India’s push for reform and a permanent seat at the high table.

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India News

North Macedonia nightclub tragedy: Deadly fire kills 59, over 155 injured, survivors recall horror

A nightclub fire in Kocani, North Macedonia, has killed 59 people and injured over 155. Authorities suspect pyrotechnics triggered the inferno.

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nightclub fire, North Macedonia, Kocani fire, pyrotechnic accident, DNK concert, fire disaster

At least 59 people have lost their lives, and over 155 others sustained injuries after a devastating fire broke out at the Pulse nightclub in Kocani, North Macedonia. The fire erupted around 02:30 local time (01:30 GMT) while approximately 1,500 people were attending a concert by DNK, a well-known hip-hop duo.

Videos circulating on social media show the roof of the club engulfed in flames as panic ensued among attendees. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski described the incident as a “difficult and very sad day” for the nation, mourning the loss of many young lives.

Cause of the fire

According to Interior Minister Pance Toskovski, preliminary reports suggest that the fire was ignited by sparks from pyrotechnic devices used during the performance. The sparks reportedly reached the ceiling, which was composed of highly flammable material, causing the fire to spread rapidly.

Footage from inside the venue shows two flares being set off, followed by flames catching onto the ceiling. Many concertgoers initially appeared to watch the fire rather than evacuate immediately.

Eyewitnesses described harrowing scenes of people scrambling to escape. Marija Taseva, a 20-year-old survivor, recounted to Channel 5 TV how she was caught in a stampede. She was trampled before managing to make her way out, while her family continued searching for her missing 25-year-old sister, who had not been located in any local hospital.

Mass casualties and overwhelmed hospitals

Kocani’s hospital initially received around 90 patients suffering from severe burns, with 18 remaining in critical condition, according to the health minister. Hospital director Kristina Serafimova stated that identifying victims had been challenging due to many not carrying ID cards. The deceased were reported to be between the ages of 14 and 24.

Authorities have arrested one individual in connection with the incident, though further details have not yet been disclosed.

In a statement, the prime minister assured that the government is “fully mobilised” to address the consequences of the disaster and determine its exact causes.

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