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Released Palestinians allege abuse in Israeli jails
Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails say that guards carried out abuse and collective punishment in the weeks after the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October.
They have described being hit with sticks, having muzzled dogs set on them, and their clothes, food and blankets taken away.
One female prisoner has said she was threatened with rape, and that guards twice tear-gassed inmates inside the cells.
The BBC spoke to six people in total, all of whom said they were beaten before leaving jail.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society says some guards are alleged to have urinated on handcuffed prisoners. And that six prisoners have died in Israeli custody in the past seven weeks.
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Chuck Schumer Invites Netanyahu To Address Congress
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is poised to join Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver an address to Congress, despite tensions between the Israeli leader and many Democrats over the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Johnson told The Hill this week that he sent Schumer a draft invitation around a month ago, but the Senate leader has been sitting on it since.
Netanyahu’s visit — if it does materialize — is sure to spark outrage among liberals, who have strongly criticized the prime minister’s handling… Read more
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Bernie Sanders Defends College Protesters Accused Of Being Pro-Hamas
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said that many of the pro-Palestine demonstrating on college campuses are doing so “for the right reasons.”
The Vermont lawmaker joined CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour where the pair discussed President Joe Biden’s recent condemnation of the pro-Palestine protests over the use of pro-Hamas chants and anti-Semitic rhetoric.
Sanders said the president was correct in calling out hate and violence at pro-Gaza protests, but said it is important to draw a distinction for those protesting against the Israeli government.
AMANPOUR: Do you believe President Bide… Read more
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Russia Troops Enter U.S. Airbase In Niger
Russian military personnel have entered an air base in Niger that is hosting U.S. troops, a senior U.S. defense official told Reuters, a move that follows a decision by Niger's junta to expel U.S. forces from the country.
The military officers ruling the West African nation have told the U.S. to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel from the country, which until a coup last year had been a key partner for Washington's fight against insurgents who have killed thousands of people and displaced millions more.
A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said… Read more
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Boston City Council Joins Calls for Gaza Cease-Fire Amid Rising Tensions
In a move that underscores the global reach of the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Boston City Council has passed a resolution calling for an immediate and permanent cease-fire in Gaza. This decision aligns Boston with other Massachusetts cities like Cambridge and Somerville, which have already expressed similar sentiments. The resolution, passed with an 11-2 vote, not only advocates for a halt to the hostilities but also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and all administrative detainees by Israel. This collective stance by local governments in the United States reflects a growing… Read more
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Pentagon Acknowledges Fatal Mistake in Syria Drone Strike
In a rare admission of error, the Pentagon has acknowledged that a drone strike in Syria earlier this year mistakenly killed a civilian instead of the intended Al Qaeda target. The strike, which took place on May 3, 2023, was initially believed to have eliminated a senior Al Qaeda leader. However, subsequent investigations by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) revealed a grave mistake: the victim was a civilian, identified as Mr. Lufti Hasan Masto, a shepherd, not a terrorist operative. This revelation has sparked a wave of scrutiny over the U.S. military's operations and its drone warfa… Read more
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Landmark Ruling: Italy Wins Legal Battle Over Ancient Greek Bronze at Getty Museum
In a landmark decision that has captured the attention of the art world and legal experts alike, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has upheld Italy's claim to an ancient Greek bronze, currently housed at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. The ruling, delivered on Thursday, marks the culmination of a long-standing legal battle over the rightful ownership of the 'Victorious Youth,' a statue of a nude athlete fished from the Adriatic Sea in the 1960s. Italy has argued that the bronze was illegally exported and has sought its return for decades.
The case reached the ECHR after… Read more
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India Criticizes Canada for Providing 'Political Space' to Extremism and Separatism
In a recent development that has strained India-Canada relations, India has openly criticized Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's remarks, which are perceived as providing a 'political space' for separatism and extremism within Canada. This criticism comes in the wake of Trudeau's comments that were seen as sympathetic towards Khalistani elements, a separatist movement seeking an independent Sikh homeland, which has been a long-standing issue between India and Canada. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has expressed concern over the implications of such pol… Read more
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India Claps Back at US Commission's Report on Religious Freedom
India has vehemently rejected the recent report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), labeling it as biased and accusing the commission of harboring a political agenda. The report, which criticized India for alleged violations of religious freedoms and accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of promoting discriminatory policies, has sparked a significant backlash from the Indian government. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was quick to respond, dismissing the accusations as unfounded and reflective of a misunderstanding of India's diverse and plu… Read more
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Global Powers Urged to Keep AI Out of Nuclear Weapons Control
In a significant move aimed at maintaining human oversight over the world's most dangerous weapons, a senior U.S. official has called on China and Russia to agree that artificial intelligence (AI) should never control nuclear weapons. This plea emphasizes the growing concern among global leaders about the potential risks associated with the integration of AI in military operations, particularly in the context of nuclear warfare. The United States, alongside France and Britain, has already declared its commitment to ensuring that decisions regarding the deployment of nuclear weapons remai… Read more
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U.S. Running Out Of Bombs As Israel And Ukraine Wars Escalate
The U.S. has transferred tens of thousands of its bombs and shells to Israel since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
But it hasn’t given Israel everything it wants. That’s because the U.S. military lacks the capacity to provide some of the weapons Israel requested, according to Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In addition to Israel, the Biden administration has sent an enormous quantity of materiel to Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Meanwhile, the U.S. is gearing up to rush an influx of arms to Taiwan in hopes of deterring a possible Chinese attack on the… Read more
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Colombia cuts off all diplomatic ties with Israel
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Wednesday he will break diplomatic relations with Israel over its actions in Gaza.
Petro has already heavily criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and requested to join South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice.
“Here in front of you, the government of change, of the president of the republic announces that tomorrow we will break diplomatic relations with the state of Israel ... for having a government, for having a president who is genocidal,” Petro told cheering crowds in Bog… Read more
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Russia now accepts headscarves and hijabs in passport photos.
Moscow has relaxed regulations covering applications by foreign nationals applying for citizenship, and will allow headscarves and hijabs in passport photographs, the Russian Interior Ministry said last Wednesday.
The new law will come into force on May 5, ten days after its publication.
“In cases where the religious beliefs of the applicant do not allow them to appear in front of strangers without a head covering, photographs are to be provided in head coverings that do not hide the oval of the face,” the document states.
Pictures with scarves that fully or partially obscure the chi… Read more
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Saudi Arabia Cracks Down: Israel Critics Arrested
Saudi Arabia has stepped up the arrest of citizens for social-media posts related to the Israel-Hamas war as the kingdom signals a readiness to agree to diplomatic relations with the Jewish state — if it commits to Palestinian statehood.
Detaining people for online comments — even those more than 10 years old — and restrictions on free speech and political expression are the norm in Saudi Arabia. Yet the recent spate of arrests are motivated by security concerns specifically linked to the deadly Oct. 7 invasion of Israel by Hamas and its aftermath, according to Riyadh-based… Read more
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The Cruel Spectacle of British Asylum Policy
The Safety of Rwanda Act allow the British government to finally, after two years, enact its policy to permanently deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Some of the most vulnerable people in Britain will be rounded up, detained and then — in theory — flown some 4,000 miles to Rwanda’s capital, Kigali.
Nearly 30,000 people made small-boat journeys to Britain last year alone, and deaths have become more common. Five people, including a child, died making the crossing last week, hours after the bill passed.
The deal was condemned by human rights groups and the United Nations’ ref… Read more
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Trump praises New York police raid on Columbia university protesters
Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Wednesday it "was a beautiful thing to watch" New York police officers raiding a Columbia University building occupied by pro-Palestinian students, and called on officials to crack down on campus protests across the United States.
"New York was under siege last night," Trump told supporters at a campaign rally in Wisconsin, praising the police officers for arresting about 300 protesters at Columbia and City College of New York who he referred to as "raging lunatics and Hamas sympathizers."
Trump comments… Read more
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Hamas Unlikely To Accept Peace Deal
Hamas is likely to turn down Israel’s proposal for a truce as it does not include clear commitments for ending the war in Gaza, a top official from the group has said.
Souheil al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’s leadership in Gaza, said late on Wednesday that the terrorist group is likely to respond negatively to the much-touted proposal for a 40-day ceasefire and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
He told AFP: “Hamas is open to any dialogue with mediators, whether Egyptian or Qatari, and is also open to all initiatives to end the war on the Palestinian people, but within very clear conditions that cannot be abandoned.”
“As long as there is a continuation of the war, I believe that the Palestinian resistance has spoken on this issue.”
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116 Russian Soldiers Killed In Missile Strike
More than 100 Russian soldiers were reportedly killed when a volley of Atacms missiles hit a training base in eastern Ukraine in one of the highest single losses of Russian lives in months.
Drone footage shared on social media appeared to show at least four of the short-range ballistic missiles, armed with cluster warheads, smash the gathering of Russian troops in as little as 95 seconds.
Ukraine has been begging the US for months to supply high-precision, long-range Atacms missiles, before they were secretly shipped to Kyiv last month.
Western analysts said the attack occurred on a Russian trai… Read more
