Former FBI chief James Comey to make first US court appearance

Former FBI director James Comey, a prominent critic of US President Donald Trump, is to make his first court appearance on Wednesday to face charges of making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding.Comey’s arraignment, during which he is expected to plead not guilty, is to be held at 10:00 am (1400 GMT) at a federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, before district judge Michael Nachmanoff.Comey, 64, was indicted last month on two felony counts in an escalation of Trump’s campaign of retribution against the Republican president’s political foes.Appointed to head the FBI by former president Barack Obama in 2013, Comey is charged with lying to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding stemming from sworn testimony he gave to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020.He is accused of falsely stating that he had not authorized another FBI employee to be an anonymous source in news reports. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.Trump fired Comey in 2017 amid a probe into whether any members of the Trump presidential campaign had colluded with Moscow to sway the 2016 vote.The charges came just days after Trump had publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Comey and others he sees as enemies — a stunning departure from the principle that the Justice Department must be free from White House pressure.Trump, the first convicted felon to serve as US president, hailed the indictment, saying Comey is “one of the worst human beings this country has ever been exposed to.”Trump has taken a number of punitive measures against his perceived enemies and political opponents since taking office in January.The 79-year-old Republican has stripped former officials of their security clearances, targeted law firms involved in past cases against him and pulled federal funding from universities.Comey’s indictment came after the US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, stepped down after reportedly telling Justice Department leaders there was insufficient evidence to charge Comey.Trump replaced Siebert with Lindsey Halligan, a former personal lawyer to the president, who brought the case to a grand jury and secured an indictment.In a video posted on Instagram following the indictment, Comey proclaimed his innocence and said “my family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump.”Trump was the target of several investigations after leaving the White House in 2021.The FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago home in 2022 as part of a probe into mishandling of classified documents and Trump was charged by Special Counsel Jack Smith with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election.Neither case came to trial, and Smith — in line with a Justice Department policy of not prosecuting a sitting president — dropped them both after Trump won the November 2024 vote.

Snakebite surge as Bangladesh hit by record rains

In the swamplands along Bangladesh’s mighty Padma River, snakes slithering through villages have become an unrelenting menace, leaving residents terrified and hospitals overwhelmed with bite victims.Doctors and experts warn snakebites are on the rise, driven by heavy rains, shrinking habitats and shifting farming practices.Bangladesh — among the nations most vulnerable to climate change — has seen nearly 15,000 snakebite admissions this year, with 84 deaths reported so far.Farmer Ananda Mondol broke down as he recalled how a snake bit his ankle while he was working in a rice field this year.”I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t move,” the 35-year-old from Nimtola, a village in the northern district of Rajshahi, told AFP.”I vomited, lost control of my bowels, and saliva was coming out of my mouth.”He spent three days in intensive care, and is still plagued by sleepless nights and persistent muscle pain.The father of four has not returned to the fields since.His wife, Sunita Rani, a traditional healer, said the family cannot afford further treatment.Across the villages of northern Bangladesh, similar stories abound.”Sometimes, they even lie with us on the bed,” said Rezina Begum, as she washed clothes by the river. Another villager, Mohammad Bablu, told AFPhe dreads walking through the fields.”My heart races,” he said. “Only yesterday they killed seven snakes.”- ‘Strong swimmers’ -The swamplands have always been a sanctuary for snakes, but floodwaters brought on by this year’s extra heavy monsoon rains have pushed more of them from their natural shelters into human settlements.And doctors say that has ramped up the deadly consequences.At least 25 people have died from snakebites at the Rajshahi Medical College hospital since January, said professor of medicine Abu Shahin Mohammed Mahbubur Rahman.The hospital treated more than 1,000 cases in nine months, including 206 bites from venomous species such as cobras, kraits and the feared Russell’s viper.”Many patients suffer acute kidney failure after snakebites,” Rahman said.Nationwide, authorities have recorded 84 snakebite deaths so far this year, alongside nearly 15,000 admissions.That follows 118 deaths in 2024, one of the highest tolls in recent memory.The once uncommon venomous Russell’s viper has seen a resurgence in numbers since 2013, spreading panic.Fatalities have risen steadily since.A prolific breeder, Russell’s vipers do not lay eggs — they give birth to as many as 60 babies at a time, making them difficult to contain.”They are strong swimmers and can float on water hyacinths,” said Farid Ahsan, professor of zoology at Chittagong University.This year’s heavy rains have worsened the risk.Rajshahi recorded 1,409 millimetres of rainfall between May and September, nearly a fifth higher above the seasonal norm of 1,175 mm.- Boots and nets -But experts say climate change is only part of the picture.Gowhar Naim Wara, a disaster management specialist, blamed urbanisation and farming practices.”Their habitat is gone, and they are now living in close contact with humans,” Wara said.Hospitals have scrambled to stock antivenom.”We have sufficient antivenoms for the next three weeks,” said Md Sayedur Rahman, special assistant at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, adding that more imports were on the way.But experts caution imported antidotes are not always effective, as venoms vary by species and region.Bangladesh is working on its own treatments, with progress on a Russell’s viper antivenom — though rollout remains at least three years away.In the meantime, villagers are adapting as best they can — carrying sticks and torches at night, wearing jeans and boots in the fields, and sleeping under mosquito nets.”It could be any of us next,” said Bablu. “We live every day with that thought.”

US, Qatar, Turkey to join third day of Gaza peace talks in Egypt

Qatar’s prime minister and senior delegates from the United States and Turkey will join Hamas and Israeli negotiators on Wednesday for a third day of talks aimed at ending the Gaza war.Israel and Hamas are holding indirect negotiations in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, based on a 20-point plan proposed by US President Donald Trump last month.Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Trump’s special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are all due to attend the talks.”There’s a real chance that we could do something,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, adding that US negotiators were also involved in the talks.”I think there’s a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East. It’s something even beyond the Gaza situation. We want a release of the hostages immediately.” Trump said the United States would do “everything possible to make sure everyone adheres to the deal” if Hamas and Israel do agree on a ceasefire.The talks came as Israel commemorated the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war.At the close of the Jewish festival of Sukkot, Hamas-led militants launched the deadliest attack on Israel in the country’s history, sparking a huge retaliatory offensive in Gaza.It resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.Militants also took 251 people hostage into Gaza, of whom 47 remain captive, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead.Global pressure to end the war has escalated, with much of Gaza flattened, a UN-declared famine unfolding and Israeli hostage families still longing for their loved ones’ return.A UN probe accused last month Israel of genocide in Gaza while rights groups have accused Hamas of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the October 7 attack. Both sides reject the allegations.Hundreds of thousands of protesters joined pro-Palestinian mass demonstrations in cities across the world last weekend, calling for an immediate end to the war, including in Italy, Spain, Ireland and Britain.Demonstrators in the Netherlands called for their government to recognise a Palestinian state, while tens of thousands in Britain defied Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s calls to skip rallies, holding vigils and gatherings on the October 7 anniversary.- ‘Guarantees’ -Hamas’s top negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, said the Islamist group wants “guarantees from President Trump and the sponsor countries that the war will end once and for all”.Trump’s plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.The plan received positive responses from both Israel and Hamas and prompted indirect talks in Egypt since Monday.A Palestinian source close to the Hamas negotiating team said Tuesday’s session included Hamas discussing “the initial maps presented by the Israeli side regarding the withdrawal of troops as well as the mechanism and timetable for the hostage-prisoner exchange”.US representatives Witkoff and Kushner were expected to arrive in Egypt on Wednesday, according to Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, after they were initially expected to arrive last weekend.”The primary guarantee of success at this stage is US President Trump himself… even if it comes to a point to require him imposing a vision,” he said.Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,160 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that over half of the dead are women and children.burs/dv/dhw/tc

Indian garment exporters reel under US tariffs

When Donald Trump was elected, Indian garment exporter R.K. Sivasubramaniam thought the new US president would boost business and invested heavily in anticipation of a boom.But less than a year later, everything is “upside down”, he admits with a pained smile.Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods, imposed in August, have upset the country’s $11 billion textile export industry and shaken confidence in the US market.Sivasubramaniam’s Raft Garments factory in southern India, normally frenetic with humming sewing machines, is quieter and work hours have been cut, hitting employees’ paypackets.If his US buyers turn to other suppliers, half his business could vanish.Meanwhile, half a million garments sit in towering stacks, ready for shipment but stalled over who will pay the new duties.Buyers are asking for a 16-20 percent discount.”We cannot give that much,” said Sivasubramaniam, whose desk carries crossed US and Indian flags. “It’s a very huge loss for us.”If Raft doesn’t shoulder part of the duties, it won’t be paid for garments already produced — leaving it unable to cover costs.”If it continues for another month… we cannot give work to our employees,” he warned.Trump’s anger at India’s purchases of Russian oil — which Washington says help finance Moscow’s war in Ukraine — has left New Delhi facing some of the world’s steepest tariffs.A trade deal that could ease that hinges partly on progress in peace talks.But the fallout is being felt in Tiruppur, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.- ‘Worst possible situation’ -Dubbed India’s “knitwear capital”, and “Dollar City” for its export earnings, the small industrial town produced $5 billion in garments last fiscal year, two-fifths going to the United States. Its lanes are dotted with thousands of units including dyeing, embroidery and sewing workshops.Manufacturers paint a grim picture.”US orders have largely stopped, around 80 percent of the US business has reduced,” said Ramesh Jebaraj of Trinity Tex.In the same season last year, he produced 100,000 garments.Now he has barely a fifth of that — forcing him to seek buyers in Israel and the United Arab Emirates.”This is the situation across Tiruppur,” he told AFP. “Some of the bigger factories are on the verge of closing some of their units.”Alexander John of NC John Garments, which supplies Walt Disney, called the tariff standoff “the worst possible situation any business can be in”.With his US orders “completely at a standstill”, he has cut shifts and laid off workers.To stay afloat, he is looking to Europe and Britain but said “none of these markets can replace the US”.Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has warned that up to three million jobs could be at risk across the state’s textile belt, a grim prospect for a country struggling to provide well-paid work for its youth.Local industry associations say they have so far avoided widespread layoffs by agreeing to steep discounts on US shipments.”In the short term, we’re giving discounts to the customer ranging from 20 to 25 percent,” said N. Thirukkumaran, general secretary of the Tiruppur Exporters Association.But he admits it is not a long-term solution, and has pleaded for government support.- ‘We are helpless’ -Exporters describe the move as a calculated gamble, by selling at a loss to maintain US buyer relationships while awaiting a trade deal.At RRK Cotton’s facility in Palladam, 17 kilometres (10 miles) from Tiruppur, dimly lit production halls are quieter than normal.Owner R. Rajkumar, a former tailor who built his business over three decades, has closed two factories and furloughed some staff.”This is a situation nobody could have anticipated,” he said, adding that he was running three factories fulfilling European orders, and shipping some US orders after giving a discount.He fears the next ordering cycle could be disrupted if US buyers shift to rivals such as Vietnam or Bangladesh.All that depends on a trade deal.Meanwhile, anger and confusion run deep among workers and business owners.”My tailor… He doesn’t know what is a trade war, or why India is buying oil from Russia, and why it is affecting our lives, our bread,” said Kumar Duraiswamy, CEO of Eastern Global Clothing.”The problem is we are helpless,” he added.N. Karthick Raja, 38, employed at a small embroidery unit now running reduced shifts, fears for his livelihood.”If this job goes away, I don’t know what I will do next,” he said. “America has abandoned us, more or less.”