Egypt prisoners tortured to give up names, says ex-detainee
WATCH: Detainees 'disappear' after leaked police station torture video
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NHS paediatrician racially profiled, humiliated at Cambridge event
A young doctor and father of two has condemned how he was racially profiled and humiliated when he turned up to attend a lecture by Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely at the University of Cambridge last Wednesday. Dr Zeshan Qureshi, a Cambridge Union member of good standing, said he had acquired a ticket to attend the event through official processes. He recalled: “After going past the CCTV camera and through the scanner, an unfamiliar security individual, not directly employed by the union, told me that I needed to come with him.” The doctor was then taken aside and interrogated. “I was asked if I was a member of any Palestinian organisations and whether I was planning to cause trouble at the […]
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UK government welcomes genocidal apartheid upholders
When hundreds of students at the University of Cambridge gathered on Tuesday to protest the Israeli ambassador to Britain Tzipi Hotovely's speech at the Cambridge Union, cutting it short and causing her to flee the grounds, it became clear that her track record would not be forgotten any time soon. Hotovely, who served as a settlement minister under Israel's former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was hosted despite the disagreement of students prior to the event. Students wrote in an open letter that the ambassador: “Is a proud supporter of Israeli settler colonialism, and an open advocate of a 'Greater Israel'.” Hotovely is no stranger to controversy, having asserted during her previous position as deputy foreign minister that the entire West […]
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Libya: Dispute over presidency between Bashagha, Dbeibeh
Uncertainty and anticipation have characterised the political landscape in Libya after parliament assigned Fathi Bashagha as the new head of government. The High Council of State in Libya announced yesterday that a session will be held today to listen to the new head of government's agenda amid a state of anticipation and looming political division. Meanwhile, Head of the Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh remains in his current position. The Tobruk-based Council of Deputies voted on Thursday for former Minister of the Interior Bashagha as the new head of government. Bashagha called on the GNU to adhere to democracy and the peaceful transfer of power, while Dbeibeh stressed that he is preparing an initiative to solve the […]
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Sisi and Macron discuss developments in Libya
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Friday discussed recent developments and the concerted efforts to achieve security and stability in Libya. This came during their meeting in Brest, France, as part of the Egyptian president's participation in the One Ocean summit relating to environmental issues, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency. This took place a day after the Tobruk-based Council of Deputies appointed former Libyan Minister of the Interior Fathi Bashagha as head of government to serve as PM instead of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh. During the meeting, the two sides discussed “developments on a number of regional issues of common interest, in particular, the developments in Libya,” according to the same statement. The […]
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Hezbollah calls for Lebanon not to accept maritime border demarcation
Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council of Hezbollah Sheikh Ali Damoush called for Lebanon not to accept the agreement to demarcate maritime borders that do not guarantee full Lebanese sovereignty, Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported on Friday. Damoush announced in a statement: “We reject all forms of normalisation of ties with the enemy. It is not acceptable that the Lebanese accept any proposal, under American pressure, for the demarcation of maritime borders that do not respect Lebanese fuel and gas rights.” He accused the US administration of being the: “Biggest cheater, terror sponsor and supporter of corrupt and dictatorships around the globe.” According to Damoush, the US: “Interferes in the internal affairs of the countries and practices extortion on the different states […]
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Israel to establish 'triangle of relations' with India, UAE
In addition to the normalisation deals between Israel and several Arab and Gulf states, Israel is looking forward to developing relations with India, hoping to establish a “triangle of Israeli-Indian-Emirati relations.” In the first meeting of its kind held in October 2021 between the foreign ministers of India, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Israel and the US, it was decided to establish an international forum for economic cooperation. Yoel Guzinsky, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University and expert on Gulf states, shared: “New Delhi has recently resumed talks to promote a free trade agreement with Israel and the UAE.” According to Guzinsky, this is in return for the Israeli interest in increasing the […]
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Over 150 Palestinians wounded in Israel's West Bank aggression
Over 150 Palestinians have been injured in Israeli attacks across occupied Palestinian West Bank cities, witnesses and Palestinian medical sources reported. Arab48 revealed that eight of the wounded were journalists and two others were paramedics stationed in the field to help the injured. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that 80 Palestinians were wounded in the cities of Nablus and Qalqilya. It also confirmed that 24 others were wounded during protests against the Israeli appropriation of private Palestinian lands on Sbaih Mountain, located in the neighbourhood of Beita. The Israeli occupation army also cracked down on two peaceful Palestinian demonstrations. Witnesses confirmed that the Israeli occupation used live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas canisters. Meanwhile, the PRCS reported […]
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Palestine charity sends aid convoy to Syria refugees
Palestinian charity KindHearts has sent 80 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees in the north of the war-torn country, Anadolu Agency reported on Friday. Deputy Governor of Gaziantep Bulent Uygur confirmed that he is following up closely on the ordeal of the “oppressed” Syrians, whether in Turkey or the “safe refugee camps” in the north of Syria. “Palestine is the bleeding wound of every Muslim,” Uygur expressed, “but the Palestinian brothers insisted on putting their wounds aside and helping the brothers in Syria. It is an important step.” READ: Assad regime tortured over 653 Palestinian refugees to death since 2011, report reveals Meanwhile, Director of KindHearts Raed Badr said that Turkey played a big role in arranging the aid […]
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Report: PA committed 265 violations against West Bank Palestinians in January
Palestinian Authority (PA) security agencies committed 265 violations in January against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the Committee of Families of Political Detainees disclosed on Friday. The committee pointed out that the PA had escalated its aggression on Palestinian citizens in January, noting: “This ushers in another year of crackdown, police terrorism and political detention.” The report found that the PA had detained 80 Palestinians, summoned 28, attacked and beaten nine, raided 27 homes, suppressed freedoms 16 times and tortured five prisoners, causing major deterioration of their health. It also found that the PA confiscated the property of two Palestinians, turned 55 to arbitrary prosecution, chased 25 over their participation in protests and carried out security cooperation with the Israeli […]
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Israel forces injure 80 Palestinians in anti-settlement rallies
At least 80 Palestinians sustained injuries on Friday as Israeli forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas shells to disperse rallies in different areas in the occupied West Bank, Anadolu News Agency reports. In a statement, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and field activists said medical teams treated 80 Palestinians in protests held in the West Bank cities of Nablus and Qalqilia. Ahmed Jibril, an official in the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, said the paramedics treated 24 Palestinians in the village of Beita, Nablus. Among the injured were five journalists, he said, adding: “Four were treated in the field, while a female journalist was transferred to the Beita clinic for treatment.” In the town of Beit Dajan, Nablus, Jibril said […]
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Iran President says Tehran 'never has hope' in Vienna nuclear talks
Hard-line Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, said on Friday Tehran “never” pins hope on ongoing talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the country's 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers, Reuters reports. Iran and the United States resumed indirect talks in the Austrian capital on Tuesday after a 10-day break, but envoys gave little away as to whether they were closer to resolving various thorny issues. “We put our hopes on the east, west, north, south of our country and never have any hope in Vienna and New York,” Raisi said in a televised speech commemorating the 43rd anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution. Raisi, whose election last June led to a five-month hiatus in the talks, said Iran would rely on its […]
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Dakar rally car blast caused by improvised explosive device – source
An explosion under a support vehicle at the Dakar rally in Saudi Arabia that injured French race driver, Philippe Boutron, on 30 December was caused by an improvised explosive device, a French source familiar with the investigation said on Friday and Reuters reports. Confirming a report by RTL radio, the source told Reuters that investigators had found traces of explosives on Boutron's wrecked vehicle in Saudi Arabia. French anti-terrorism prosecutors opened a preliminary investigation into the explosion in January. French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, has said that there were suspicions of a terrorist attack, but Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said, on 8 January, that an initial investigation into the blast had not raised any criminal suspicions. A second explosion […]
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Turkey demands 11 years behind bars for senior journalist
A Turkish prosecutor's office demanded 11 years in jail for a prominent journalist on charges of insulting President Tayyip Erdogan and two ministers in his cabinet, Turkish news agencies reported on Friday and Reuters reports. Last month, a court ordered Sedef Kabas, a 52-year-old television journalist who mainly covers Turkish politics, to be jailed pending trial on a charge of insulting Erdogan, which carries a jail sentence of between one and four years. The prosecutor also asked Kabas to be charged with insulting Interior Minister, Suleyman Soylu and Transportation Minister, Adil Karaismailoglu, for a combined jail term of 11 years. Kabas was jailed, pending trial, over a proverb she cited during a political discussion on opposition TV, Channel Tele 1, […]
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US plans to free half of $7bn frozen Afghan funds for aid, remainder to stay in US
The US government is seeking to free up half of $7 billion in frozen Afghan central bank assets on its soil to help the Afghan people, pending a judicial decision, while holding the rest to satisfy lawsuits against the Taliban from victims of terrorism, the White House said on Friday, Reuters reports. President Joe Biden signed an executive order declaring a national emergency to deal with the threat of a deepening economic collapse in Afghanistan, setting the wheels in motion for a complex resolution of competing interests in the Afghan assets. The move comes hours before the US Justice Department is due to present a plan to a federal judge on what to do with the frozen fund amid urgent […]
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PUMA sportswear is being urged to axe its football sponsorship in apartheid Israel
Europe's largest sportswear manufacturer, Adidas, has ended its lucrative boot deal with French footballer Kurt Zouma, after the English Premier League player was shown to kick and slap his pet cat in a video clip uploaded by his brother onto social media. The West Ham United defender has since faced enormous criticism for his cruelty. Indeed, the football club has fined Zouma two weeks' wages — a staggering £250,000 — and as well as losing his six-figure sponsorship deal with Adidas, an insurance company has suspended its partnership with West Ham. This drama is still playing in the media, and looks like costing the player and his club an awful lot of money. Happily, Zouma's two cats have been taken […]
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Turkey threatens to block international news outlets in media crackdown
Turkey's media and telecom regulator gave three international news agencies 72 hours to secure an operating licence on Wednesday. The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) announced that German public broadcaster – Deutsche Welle, US broadcaster – Voice of America and France-based network – Euronews, would have their content blocked unless they obtain a licence. The decision reportedly marks the first time RTUK has used its powers to regulate online news platforms. It comes after the Turkish parliament revised its media regulations in 2019, giving RTUK authority to monitor any online news websites. Journalist, opposition lawmaker and RTUK board member, Illhan Tasci, voted against the decision, saying it was a further step to silence reporting. 1- RTÜK ilk kez uluslararası […]
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Key to Return: A provocative look at the lives of Palestinians living under occupation
“Take your boots off my son now!” roars Taslima. A pin-drop silence instantly falls over the auditorium. “Don't point your guns in their faces. They've done nothing wrong!” she pleads with the Israeli soldier. “Don't shout, Taslima. It won't help,” Ahmed begs. “My old mother is in a wheelchair, sick with arthritis, so I'll shout! We were here well before '67, yet why all these legal cases to throw us out?” The silent wait that follows was agony for the audience as the traumatic scenario is felt before it is understood. Blurring the lines between theatre and documentary, Key to Return, which was staged at London's P21 Gallery, guides the audience through a series of painful accounts that occur in […]
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At 86, is this Gaza's oldest barber?
Eighty-six-year-old Palestinian barber Ismail Al-Khatib refuses to retire. He continues to open up his barber shop in Firas Market, one of the oldest and most popular markets in Gaza City every morning. Al-Khatib and his son work until sunset every day in a profession that the octogenarian began practicing nearly 73 years ago, and which he learned from his father after the Nakba in 1948. He has owned his own shop in the market since 1955, when it was first established, and two years ago his work was recognised by the Palestinian Barbers' Syndicate. He recalls when he first started in the business, after the Nakba, Palestinians bartered the price of cutting their hair and trimming their beards for bread, eggs, […]
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Iran marks 43 years since the Islamic Revolution
READ: Remains of over 600 missing soldiers from Iran-Iraq war found
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