JERUSALEM, 16 January 2023, (TON): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended a controversial judicial reform amid mass protests against the changes.

Thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv to protest plans by the Netanyahu’s government to overhaul the legal system.

Proposed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the reform, if enacted, would be the most radical change ever in the system of government in Israel.

The proposed changes will severely limit the power of the Supreme Court of Justice, and give the government the power to choose judges, and end the appointment of legal advisers to ministries by the Attorney General.

KAMPALA, 16 January 2023, (TON): At least 10 people were killed and 15 wounded in a suspected terrorist bomb attack services in a church in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to Lt. Apollo Mwanamboka, a security officer in eastern Congo, the blast took place at the Spak Church in the town of Kasindi in the restive North Kivu province, less than a mile away from the Mpondwe border post with Uganda.

Julius Kasake, an eyewitness, said he was passing near the church when he heard a noisy blast. He said people from nearby homes ran into the church to help those hit by the blast.

In a phone interview with Anadolu, Congo Army spokesman Anthony Mualushay said the attack was likely carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan terrorist group that has allegiance to the terrorist group Daesh/ISIS.

NEW YORK, 15 January 2023, (TON): A New York judge on Friday fined Donald Trump’s family business the maximum penalty possible of $1.6 million for committing tax fraud.

The sum, paltry to the billionaire real estate developer’s amassed fortune, is nevertheless symbolically significant as the ex-president eyes the White House again amid a host of legal woes.

The Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Corp., entities of the Trump Organization, were found guilty last month of running a years-long scheme to defraud and evade taxes through falsifying business records.

They were convicted on all 17 counts following a trial, marking the first time the companies had ever been found guilty of crimes.

BERLIN, 15 January 2023, (TON): Germany’s Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht has decided to step down from her post, several major national media reported on Friday, after she came under fire over a series of gaffes.

The plan to resign came from Lambrecht herself, and not from the chancellery, said Bild daily, which first reported on the move without citing its sources.

Separately, Sueddeutsche daily said the minister, who is from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), is looking at stepping down in the coming week.

Rolling news channel NTV added that the search was on within the SPD for a replacement for the 57-year-old.

BRASILIA, 15 January 2023, (TON): Brazilian far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro will be included in an investigation into the origins of the January 8 sacking of government buildings in Brasilia, a Supreme Court judge announced.

The probe of the former leader comes at the request of the office of the prosecutor general, which cited a video Bolsonaro had posted “questioning the regularity of the 2022 presidential elections.”

By doing so, “Bolsonaro would have publicly incited the commission of a crime,” the PGR said in a statement.

Thousands of so-called “bolsonaristas” invaded the seats of government in Brasilia Sunday, breaking windows and furniture, destroying priceless works of art, and leaving graffiti messages calling for a military coup in their wake.

WARSAW, 15 January 2023, (TON): Polish scientist Maciej Walczak has been released from prison in Iran and has returned to Poland, the Polish foreign ministry said.

“Achieving this goal was one of the priorities of Poland’s diplomatic and consular services last year,” the ministry said in a statement.

In July, Iranian state television reported that the Revolutionary Guards had arrested several foreigners for acts that included taking soil samples in restricted areas. The report identified one of those as Walczak.

LONDON, 15 January 2023, (TON): The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.

The leaders reflected on the current state of Russia’s war in Ukraine, with successive Ukrainian victories pushing Russian troops back and compounding their military and morale issues.

They agreed on the need to seize on this moment with an acceleration of global military and diplomatic support to Ukraine.

The Prime Minister outlined the UK’s ambition to intensify our support to Ukraine, including through the provision of Challenger 2 tanks and additional artillery systems.

UNITED NATIONS, 15 January 2023, (TON): The rule of law forms the bedrock of all international cooperation and the ability of multilateralism to operate effectively, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council, describing it as “foundational” to the whole United Nations.

“From the smallest village to the global stage, the rule of law (ROL) is all that stands between peace and stability, and a brutal struggle for power and resources”, he said, arguing that it protects the vulnerable; prevents discrimination; bolsters trust in institutions; supports inclusive economies and societies; and is the first line of defence against atrocity crimes.

The UN chief painted a grim picture of civilians around the world suffering from devastating conflicts, rising poverty, and surging hunger, warning that “we are at grave risk of the Rule of Lawlessness”.

WASHINGTON, 13 January 2023, (TON): Aides to US President Joe Biden have discovered at least one more batch of classified documents in a location separate from a think tank office he used after serving as vice president, news outlets reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources.

Biden aides have been searching for additional classified materials that might be in other locations since a set of classified documents was found in November at the Washington-based think tank, according to a report in NBC News, which first broke the news, and CNN.

The NBC News report said the classification level, number and precise location of the additional documents was not immediately clear.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

ISTANBUL, 13 January 2023, (TON): Human Rights Watch said “President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has cracked down more aggressively on dissent and political opponents ahead of Turkish elections with censorship and prison sentences.”

Presidential and parliamentary elections are set for no later than mid-June but Erdogan has said they could come earlier.

Polls show he and his AK Party could lose after 20 years in power.

In its annual World Report, the rights watchdog said authorities were using online censorship and disinformation laws to muzzle independent media, the opposition and dissenting voices.