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Geopolitics

Isaac On Katrina's Path And Gaining Strength, As Republican Convention In Tampa Spared

CNN, NEW YORK TIMES (US) REUTERS

Tropical storm Isaac raged into the Gulf of Mexico Monday, threatening to become a hurricane and make landfall in Louisiana, almost seven years to the day after Hurricane Katrina decimated southeastern American cities and towns.

Governors of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have declared states of emergency, with Alabama Governor Robert Bentley ordering mandatory evacuations for residents on the coast starting from 8 a.m. Monday, reports CNN.

After hitting Haiti, where it killed at least six people, Isaac has gathered strength over Cuba and the Florida keys, bypassing the state's west coast.

Isaac's path is forecasted as almost identical to that of Katrina, which hit New Orleans in 2005, killing some 1,800 people across the region.

The tropical storm is expected to be upgraded to a Category 2 hurricane on Monday or Tuesday, with winds of up to 105 miles per hour, Reuters reports.

Seeing increased lightning activity associated with Isaac, which is usually an indicator that system is intensifying. ow.ly/i/SJlL

— NWS Tampa Bay (@NWSTampaBay) August 27, 2012

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu told reporters: "We are much, much better prepared structurally than before." There are no plans at present to evacuate New Orleans.

#NOLA Mayor Mitch Landrieu: "Now is not the time to panic. It’s a time to prepare.” #Isaac

— Jonathan Serrie (@jonathanserrie) August 27, 2012

Oil companies have been scrambling to evacuate their offshore oil-rigs and production platforms.

The Republican National Convention, set to start on Monday in Tampa Bay, was postponed due to the storm.

The opening session on Monday was set to feature Mitt Romney"s formal nomination as Republican candidate. The New York Times reports Romney as saying: "I hope everybody’s fine there. I’m concerned about the people that are going to be affected by it."

Mr. Romney, however, remains upbeat, even though the timing has created a headache for his senior staffers, as the media networks focus their attention on the storm's developments: "It'll be a great convention," Romney told reporters.

So the storms in Florida have delayed Mitt Romney's selection as Rep pres candidate. Guess that shows how Mother Nature feels about him.

— Susan P (@downatheel) August 27, 2012

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FOCUS: Israel-Palestine War

After Abbas: Here Are The Three Frontrunners To Be The Next Palestinian Leader

Israel and the West have often asked: Where is the Palestinian Mandela? The divided regimes between Gaza and the West Bank continues to make it difficult to imagine the future Palestinian leader. Still, these three names are worth considering.

Photo of Mahmoud Abbas speaking into microphone

Abbas is 88, and has been the leading Palestinian political figure since 2005

Thaer Ganaim/APA Images via ZUMA
Elias Kassem

Updated Dec. 5, 2023 at 12:05 a.m.

Israel has set two goals for its Gaza war: destroying Hamas and releasing hostages.

But it has no answer to, nor is even asking the question: What comes next?

The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the return of the current Palestinian Authority to govern post-war Gaza. That stance seems opposed to the U.S. Administration’s call to revitalize the Palestinian Authority (PA) to assume power in the coastal enclave.

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But neither Israel nor the U.S. put a detailed plan for a governing body in post-war Gaza, let alone offering a vision for a bonafide Palestinian state that would also encompass the West Bank.

The Palestinian Authority, which administers much of the occupied West Bank, was created in1994 as part of the Oslo Accords peace agreement. It’s now led by President Mahmoud Abbas, who succeeded Yasser Arafat in 2005. Over the past few years, the question of who would succeed Abbas, now 88 years old, has largely dominated internal Palestinian politics.

But that question has gained new urgency — and was fundamentally altered — with the war in Gaza.

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