Headlines

• Jury Convicts Former President of All Counts in Historic Hush Money Trial
• The conviction, which legal experts say is unlikely to lead to jail time, does not disqualify Trump from running for president. An appeal is likely.

New York, May 30 (DP.net).– After roughly nine hours of fast-paced deliberation, the New York jury found former President Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents to conceal payments intended to silence stories of an extramarital sexual encounter. “You gave this matter the attention it deserved and I thank you for that,” Judge Juan Merhcan said, thanking the 12 jurors for their civic duty before excusing them.

The trial evolved around an intricate "catch and kill" scheme carried out during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign in an effort to improve his chances of winning the election. The former President was found guilty by the jury in his hush money trial on Thursday, turning him into a convicted felon, casting a permanent stain on American history, and upending the dynamics surrounding the likely Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential contest.

• The chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers is held for a six-month term in turn by the representatives of the members in English alphabetical order. The chairmanship is transferred from one Member State to the next in mid-May and mid-November.

Strasbourg, Nov. 12.– Liechtenstein will take over from Latvia on Nov. 15 the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for the next six months.

The Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Reinis Brusbārdis, will take stock of Latvia’s Presidency and hand over to Dominique Hasler, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport of Liechtenstein, who will present the priorities of her country’s Presidency.

Jerusalem, Nov.7.– Israel’s war against Hamas has entered its thirty-second day, a month after Hamas killed at least 1,300 Israelis and wounded more than 3,300 in a merciless assault. In Gaza, the Hamas-controlled health ministry reports more than 10,328 Palestinians have been killed. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad hold hostage more than 242 soldiers and civilians, including foreign nationals.

According to reports from Gaza, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) is exchanging fire with Hamas forces near one of the group’s strongholds in the northern part of the Strip. Hamas and Hezbollah continue to fire missiles at Israel and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza continue.

What happened this Tuesday

■ The IDF exchanged fire with Hamas militants on the outskirts of a Hamas stronghold in northern Gaza, the Al-Shati refugee camp, according to Palestinian reports. The IDF said it attacked targets staying near the Al-Quds hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday overnight. Rocket fire from Gaza into Israel continued on Tuesday.

One of the Cuban dictatorship’s leading means of forced labor exploitation has for decades been the compulsory military service. It violates the Protocol on Trafficking in Persons and other international accords, forces minors --under 18-- to serve, and now delivers Cubans to kill Ukrainians in the invasion of their homeland.

Cuba has a large captive pool of men with military training or seeking to avoid their country’s harsh compulsory service who are forbidden from leaving the country unless so authorized. Desperate to escape poverty and hopelessness, hundreds are enlisting as mercenaries for Russia. They risk their lives for around $26,000 a year, a ticket out of Cuba, and a few other benefits while Cuba’s bankrupt regime secures more oil, food, and perhaps a commission from Russia.
 
For decades, Cuba’s compulsory military service has exploited young men as forced labor and subjected them to deplorable conditions. Many commit suicide, harm themselves seeking a discharge, die in senseless accidents, or end up in prison for deserting or dead in mysterious circumstances. Cuba Archive has documented 20 non-combat fatalities just in 2022 and 2023, including 2 minors.
 
The Cuban regime has long rented out its citizens for senseless combats in faraway lands. The Castro brothers forced 377,000 to serve in the Angola war (1975-1991), most for three years, earning billions collecting $1,000 per month per soldier, who were, in turn, paid just $8 to $17 a year. At least 2,085 were killed, and many thousands returned mutilated, traumatized, and mentally ill.
 
[ See the article in Global Americans based on Cuba Archive’s in-depth report. ]