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☆ Saudi women’s rights activist sentenced to 11 years in jail, rights groups say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Radina Gigova | Hande Atay Alam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Human rights groups are calling for the release of a Saudi woman, who they say has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for supporting women’s rights and for the way she dressed. Manahel al-Otaibi, a 29-year-old fitness instructor and women’s rights activist, was sentenced during a “secret hearing” before the kingdom’s Specialized Criminal Court on January 9, 2024, Amnesty International and the London-based Saudi rights organization ALQST said in a joint statement Tuesday. Saudi Arabia’s authorities “must immediately and unconditionally” release Manahel al-Otaibi, as the decision to imprison her “directly contradicts the authorities’ narrative of reform and women’s empowerment,” Amnesty and ALQST said. “Manahel’s conviction and 11-year sentence is an appalling and cruel injustice,” said Bissan Fakih, Amnesty International’s Campaigner on Saudi Arabia. Al-Otaibi’s sentencing comes “amid an intensified crackdown on free speech in Saudi Arabia, including online expression,” the groups said.

Persons: Manahel, ”, ALQST, Otaibi “, Al, Fawzia, “, Bissan Fakih, Otaibi, Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Organizations: CNN, Amnesty International, Saudi, United Nations, UN, Amnesty, Human Rights Locations: Saudi, London, Geneva, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh

☆ Islamophobia and India’s election: Rising Hindu nationalism leaves Muslims fearful in India’s holy city
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Rhea Mogul | Will Ripley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Varanasi, India CNN —The sun glistens on the Ganges as Hindu devotees bathe in the holy river’s waters, and the Muslim call to prayer reverberates through the dusty air. The Gyanvapi mosque, left, and Kashiviswanath Temple on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi, India, December 12, 2021. He believes Gyanvapi is not a mosque, but a Hindu temple, and wants to see his community worship inside the walls of the building. Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, the priest of a prominent Hindu temple in Varanasi, believes Modi’s stoking of religious tensions is ruining the fabric of Indian society. This is my country.”Read more from CNN’s India election coverage:Billions spent, jungle-trekking poll workers and voting at 15,000 feet.

Persons: Narendra Modi’s, Modi, Varanasi John Mees, Sana Sabah, trepidation, “, Modi’s, Rajesh Kumar Singh, John Mees, Syed Mohammad Yaseen, ”, Hinduism John Mees, ’, Dileep Patel, inching, Nasir Ali, Ali, ‘ Jai Shree Sri Ram ’, Vijay Bedi, CNN Ali, Muzamil, Usman, it’s, Jai Shree Ram ”, Manish Swarup, Raja Singh, we’ll, Singh, –, Jaiveer Shergill, spokespeople, haven’t, Shamsher Ali, Emperor Aurangzeb, Lord Shiva, Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Pawan Kumar, ” Ali, Yaseen, ” Syed Mohammad Yaseen, turbocharge, ” Modi, Ram, Lucas Vallecillos, Swami Jitendranand Saraswati, Gyanvapi, Swami Saraswati, Amit Pandey, Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, ” Mishra, ” Read, Narendra Modi Organizations: India CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, CNN, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Modi, Bhajanpura Police, United Nations, Human Rights, ” CNN, Modi’s, Hate, AP BJP, T, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, International Federation for Human Rights, Reuters, Guards, “ Locations: Varanasi, India, Varanasi John, today’s India, “, Hinduism, Jammu, Kashmir, New Delhi, Delhi, Mustafabad, Rajasthan, Jaipur, Gujarat, Washington, BJP, Ali, Kashi, Gyanvapi, John, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh

☆ Julian Assange’s mission was to change the world - but at what cost?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | Claudia Rebaza | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Julian Assange leaves a Melbourne court after facing charges of computer hacking in 1995. WikiLeaks/ReutersUnder a global spotlightAs WikiLeaks continued its disclosures, Assange found himself the latest cause célèbre – his every movement intensely scrutinized. … He liked the fuss that (the disclosures) caused but he was oddly incurious actually about the documents.”Others offer alternative explanations for Assange’s eccentricities. There were mounting calls for Assange to leave WikiLeaks and, when he didn’t, many cut ties with it. Outside the confines of his diplomatic shelter, the world questioned whether Assange was trying to circumvent justice.

Persons: London CNN — Julian Assange, ”, He’s, Chelsea Manning, Joe Biden, Assange’s, Anthony Albanese, Assange, “, ” –, Julian Assange, Ian Kenins, Sarah Palin’s, Atika Shubert, Shubert, ” Shubert, célèbre, Fidel Narvaez, “ Assange, ” Narvaez, James Ball, Joe Raedle, ” Ball, Ball, …, Narvaez, Hans Crescent, Lenin Moreno, Moreno, Abu Hamza al, Masri, Stella Assange, Daniel Leal, Stella, “ I’m, Nick Vamos, It’s, Alice Jill Edwards, Agnès Callamard, El País, Der Spiegel, Jameel Jaffer, Xiaofei Xu, Alex Stambaugh Organizations: London CNN, WikiLeaks, Court, Ecuadorian, Army, Australian, Pentagon, NASA, University of Melbourne, Fairfax Media, of Scientology, Republican, CNN, Chelsea, Apache, Reuters, Guardian, Ellingham, Hans, London’s Metropolitan Police, US Justice Department, of Justice, Britain's, Getty, Peters & Peters, Prosecution Service, Human Rights, UN, Amnesty, The New York Times, Columbia University Locations: United States, Australian, London’s, Australia, Townsville, Queensland, cybercrime, Melbourne, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Iraq, London, Afghanistan, ”, Sweden, Ecuador, UK’s, Belmarsh

The Gaza Civil Defense acknowledged that around 100 bodies were buried in graves at the Nasser hospital before the IDF operation there. Al Mighayyer said at the news conference that the Palestinian Gaza Civil Defense in Gaza “discovered torture marks on [some] bodies.” CNN cannot independently verify these claims. Shoshani wrote in the post: “Misinformation is circulating regarding a mass grave that was discovered at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. The Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza called on the United Nations to form an international committee to investigate the mass graves at the Nasser complex. Amnesty International has also called for an investigation into the mass graves at the two Gaza hospitals.

Persons: Khan Younis, Mohammed Al Mighayyer, Nasser, Al Mighayyer, Civil Defense “, “, He’s, ”, Gaza “, Nadav Shoshani, Shoshani, Gazans —, Gazans, Israel, Stephane Dujarric, General Organizations: CNN, Authorities, Palestinian Civil Defense, Nasser, Israel Defense Forces, Gaza Civil Defense, Civil Defense, Getty, Palestinian Gaza Civil Defense, Israel’s Defense Forces, IDF, Nasser Hospital, Israel, United, UN, “, Amnesty Locations: Gaza, Khan, Rafah, AFP, Palestinian, Khan Yunis, Israel, United Nations, New York, Nasser

☆ Time Is Running Out for Rahul Gandhi’s Vision for India
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Samanth Subramanian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The crush of people at the rally was suffocating, although in India a crowd is no index of popularity. At 53, with a well-salted beard and serious eyes, he’s too old to be called Congress’s “scion,” but he still wears the sheen of dynasty. Then, on the heels of several corruption scandals, the mighty party — 140 years old next year — came unstuck. One of Modi’s successes has been not just to trounce the Congress Party but also to persuade people that the party has weakened India and emasculated its Hindus. (Amnesty itself halted its work in India in 2020, in the midst of what it later called an “incessant witch hunt” by the government.)

Persons: —, Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira, Rajiv, Sonia, Modi, ” Organizations: Congress, Party, Amnesty, World Press Locations: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Russia

☆ Nigeria kidnapping: Chibok girl rescued after 10 years in captivity
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Stephanie Busari | Michael Rios | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Lagos, Nigeria CNN —The Nigerian army says it has rescued one of the missing Chibok schoolgirls abducted by militant Islamic group Boko Haram a decade ago. But the abduction of the Chibok girls remains the highest-profile example of the group’s targeting of schools. A decade later: Chibok kidnapping survivors tell their storiesSurvivors of the Chibok kidnapping recently shared their harrowing experiences in captivity with CNN on the 10th anniversary of their abduction. One of them Amina Ali, 27, was forced to marry a Boko Haram fighter, spending two years in captivity, before escaping. Ishaya was also reunited with her family in 2017 after spending three years as a “slave,” treating injured Boko Haram fighters.

Persons: Chibok schoolgirls, Lydia Simon, Boko Haram, Haram, “, Amina Ali, Boko, Hannatu Stephen, Ishaya, Stephanie Busari, Michael Rios, Nimi Princewill Organizations: Nigeria CNN —, CNN, Amnesty International, West, Human Rights Locations: Lagos, Nigeria, Borno State, Haram, Islamic State, West African Province, Boko Haram, ”, Nigerian, Kuriga, Sokoto, Atlanta

☆ Opinion: We all lose if the Olympic surveillance state becomes the norm
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Opinion Jules Boykoff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

He is the author of six books on the politics of the Olympic Games, most recently “What Are the Olympics For?” The views expressed here are his own. France enacted an Olympic Games Law in May 2023 that legalized the use of AI-driven video surveillance this summer and allowed experimentation with intelligent video surveillance until March 31, 2025. The law made France the first nation in the European Union to greenlight biometric surveillance systems. She told me that the Olympic Law “infringes the right to privacy, the right to be anonymous in the streets.”“Everything in this is political,” Levain said. The French Ministry of the Armed Forces unveiled plans to use HELMA-P, an anti-drone laser weapon system prototype, at the Paris Games.

Persons: Jules Boykoff, Emmanuel Macron, Jules Boykoff Jessi, –, ” Noémie, “, ” Levain, ”, Gérald Darmanin, we’ve, Amelie Oudea, Macron, Natsuko Sasaki, Laurent Nuñez, Le, Danielle Simonnet, Thomas Bach Organizations: Pacific University, Olympic Games, CNN, Olympic, Games, ISIS, Stade de France –, Law, European Union, Amnesty International, European Civic Forum, Human Rights, Ministry of, France’s, French Ministry of, Armed Forces, Paris Games, Stade de France, Paris Police, Le Parisien, Paris, Patriotes, Palais Royal, National Assembly, France Insoumise Party Locations: Paris, Palestinian, Atlanta, France, Le, Europe, Moscow

☆ Violent clashes break out in Georgia amid controversial ‘foreign agents’ law debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Radina Gigova | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Violent clashes erupted between protesters and police in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, on Tuesday as the country’s parliament continued debating a controversial “foreign agents” bill, criticized by Western and domestic opponents as authoritarian and Russian-inspired. “Second night of massive protest in Tbilisi against the Russian Law,” Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili said in a post on social media on Tuesday. The Georgian Dream party, which has been pushing for the law, has the parliamentary majority which could override a presidential veto. At least one employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was injured during Tuesday’s clashes, the ministry said in a statement. If protesters “continue their illegal actions,” the Ministry of Internal Affairs will “administer special measures defined by law,” it warned.

Persons: ”, Salome Zourabichvili, “, Zourabichvili, Mamuka Mdinaradze, Aleko Elisashvili Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Russian, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Rights Watch, Amnesty International Locations: Georgia’s, Tbilisi, Georgian, Britain, Russian, Soviet

☆ They were kidnapped from a boarding school 10 years ago. Hear their stories
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Boko Haram has waged a 15-year insurgency battle in northern Nigeria and has kidnapped thousands of people in that time. But the Chibok girls serve as a potent symbol to the world of hope and resilience. Boko Haram robbed her futureOnce an ambitious student with dreams of academic achievement, Hauwa Ishaya was 16 when she was kidnapped. As a result, she instead became a self-described “slave” – attending to her married sisters’ needs and treating wounded Boko Haram fighters. ‘I believe she’s alive’It is not only the girls kidnapped 10 years ago whose lives have been forever changed.

Persons: Nigeria CNN —, Haram, Amina Ali, Amina, Boko, CNN Amina, “, Hauwa Ishaya, CNN Hauwa, ” –, ’, Hauwa, ”, Hannatu Stephen, Hannatu, ‘, Yana Galang, Rifkatu, Yana, CNN Yana, she’s Organizations: Nigeria CNN, Amnesty International, CNN, American University of Nigeria Locations: Yola, Nigeria, Adamawa State, Boko Haram, Chibok

☆ Terminally ill Palestinian prisoner dies after 38 years in Israeli custody
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Sahar Akbarzai | Kareem Khadder | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Walid Daqqa, one of the longest-serving Palestinian prisoners in Israel, died of cancer on Sunday at the age of 63 after almost four decades of incarceration. At the time of his death, he was the longest imprisoned Palestinian in Israel, with the second longest sentence served overall, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Society. Born in the Israeli town of Baqa al-Gharbiyye in the northern “triangle” region, Daqqa was a Palestinian citizen of Israel. Daqqa was not convicted of carrying out the murder but of commanding the group, which he denied, Amnesty said. After his death, a tent set up for mourners to gather on Monday in Baqa al-Gharbiyye was stormed by Israeli police, according to a statement from the Palestinian Prisoners Society and CNN video.

Persons: CNN — Walid Daqqa, Daqqa, Liberation of, Moshe Tamam, Tamam’s, Ortal, Israel, Daqqa “, ”, Addameer, Gharbiyye, Erika Guevara, Rosas, Ortal Tamam, “ Organizations: CNN, Palestinian Prisoners Society, Oslo Accords, Israel Prison Service, Popular Front, Liberation, Liberation of Palestine, Amnesty, Palestinian, West Bank, ” CNN, myelofibrosis, Research Locations: Israel, Oslo, Baqa, Palestinian

☆ Why Ireland is the most pro-Palestinian nation in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Eoin Mcsweeney | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

“But like Palestine, (Ireland) had direct and sustained experience of imperialism,” she said. Mousa Salem/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Palestinians transport bags of flour on the back of trucks as humanitarian aid arrives in Gaza City on March 6. Omar Qattaa/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Palestinians wait to receive food at a refugee camp in Rafah on January 27. AFP/Getty Images Palestinian boy Ahmed Qannan, suffering from malnutrition, receives treatment at a health-care center in Rafah on March 4. Yasser Qudih/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images People in a crowd struggle to buy bread from a bakery in Rafah on February 18.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Micheál Martin, Israel, “, Zoë Lawlor, ”, Jane Ohlmeyer, Leo Varadkar, ” Varadkar, Abdalmajid, Volker Turk, Ohlmeyer, Clodagh Kilcoyne, Ronald Storrs, Seán Gannon, Simon Harris, ” Israel, Amihai Eliyahu, Netanyahu, Dana Erlich, Emily Hand, Varadkar’s, Eli Cohen, Varadkar, Sinn Féin, Mary Lou McDonald, ” Matt Carthy, Sinn, ” Lawlor, Loay, Fadi, Kamal Adwan, Omar Qattaa, Saher, Ahmed Qannan, Mohammed Salem, Said Khatib, Dawoud Abo, Jehad, crouches, Abed Zagout, Yazan, Rabie Abu Noqaira, Mohammed Abed, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Yasser Qudih, Fatima Shbair, Lawlor, Carthy Organizations: CNN —, Israel, International Court of Justice, Irish, Irish Palestine Solidarity, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, “, CNN, Irish Free State, Republic of Ireland, Hamas, United Nations, Jewish, Republican Irish, European Union, West Bank, Newstalk, Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Washington Post, Kamal, Anadolu Agency, Getty, AFP, UN, Reuters, US Air Force, UPI, Dawoud Abo Alkas, Amnesty, Irish Times, State Locations: CNN — Ireland, Ireland, Gaza, Israel, Gaza “, South Africa, Irish Palestine, Palestinian, Irish, Palestine, London, St, dispossession, Ulster, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, Republic of, Dublin, Jerusalem, Jewish Ulster, Republic of Ireland, Ireland Ireland, Limerick, Rafah, Mousa Salem, Gaza City, AFP, Jordanian, Februrary

New Delhi CNN —India’s Ministry of External Affairs summoned a US State Department official after the department called for a fair legal process for opposition leader and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal following his arrest last week. “We take strong objection to the remarks of the Spokesperson of the US State Department about certain legal proceedings in India,” the Ministry said in a statement Wednesday. The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday summoned Gloria Berbena, the State Department Minister-Counselor for Public Diplomacy, according to a diplomatic officer with knowledge of the matter. At a briefing later on Wednesday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller declined to discuss “private diplomatic conversations” when asked about Berbena’s summoning, but stood by the department’s previous comments. India’s main opposition, the Indian National Congress, has also accused the BJP of using the tax department to “cripple” their finances.

Persons: Arvind Kejriwal, Gloria Berbena, Matthew Miller, ” Miller, Kejriwal, Modi, Narendra Modi’s, Kejriwal’s, ” Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN — India’s, External Affairs, US State Department, Affairs, State Department, Public Diplomacy, State, Aam Aadmi Party, Indian National Congress, Human Rights, Amnesty, India Locations: New Delhi, Delhi, India

☆ Saudi Arabia, Lagging on Women’s Rights, Is to Lead U.N. Women’s Forum
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Vivian Nereim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Saudi Arabia won an uncontested bid to lead a United Nations body dedicated to women’s rights for the 2025 session, bringing condemnation from human rights groups that argued that the kingdom had an “abysmal” record on women’s empowerment. On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.N., Abdulaziz Alwasil, was elected chairman of the Commission on the Status of Women, a U.N. body whose aim is to protect and promote women’s rights around the world. The Saudi state news agency wrote that the country’s new chairmanship “confirmed its interest in cooperating with the international community to strengthen women’s rights and empowerment” and highlighted strides the country had made toward greater social and economic freedom for women. But the decision drew scathing criticism from human rights groups. Amnesty International’s deputy director for advocacy, Sherine Tadros, said in a statement that Saudi Arabia had an “abysmal record when it comes to protecting and promoting the rights of women.” She argued that there was a “vast gulf” between the U.N. commission’s aspirations and the “lived reality for women and girls in Saudi Arabia.”

Persons: Abdulaziz Alwasil, “, Sherine Tadros, ” Organizations: United, Saudi, Amnesty Locations: Saudi Arabia, United Nations, Saudi

☆ Saudi Arabia to chair UN forum on women’s rights and gender equality
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Jennifer Hauser | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A decision by the United Nations to appoint Saudi Arabia as the chair of a gender equality forum has been criticized by women’s rights advocates. The UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) unanimously appointed Saudi Arabia to chair its 69th session in 2025, according to the Saudi Arabia Mission to the UN. “The Commission on the Status of Women has a clear mandate to promote women’s rights and gender equality and it is vital for the chair of the commission to uphold this. “Saudi Arabia cannot prove its commitment to women’s rights merely by securing a leadership role in the commission. The Saudi government website “Saudi Vision 2030” says it aims for “a strong, thriving, and stable Saudi Arabia that provides opportunity for all.”The Saudi Press Agency added, “The Saudi Vision 2030 also included priorities and targets that focused on women’s full participation at all levels and investing their energies in a manner consistent with their enormous capabilities.”

Persons: Abdulaziz Alwasil, Tadros, ” Tadros, “, persecutes Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Saudi Arabia Mission, UN, Amnesty International, Rights Watch, Saudi Press Agency, Saudi Locations: Saudi Arabia, Saudi, “ Saudi Arabia

☆ A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business. Her post, accompanied by a photo of an opened can of Nagiko Tomato Mix, produced by local company Erisco Foods Limited, sparked varied reactions from commenters, one of whom replied: “Stop spoiling my brother’s product. This case is due to be heard on May 20, her lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, told CNN. National police spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi told CNN he could not comment on the case as the matter was in court. Hard to proveNigerian legal and public affairs analyst Kelechukwu Uzoka told CNN that there are limits to the freedom of speech defense.

Persons: Nigeria CNN —, Chioma, ” Okoli, Okoli, Erisco, ”, “, Inibehe Effiong, Nwokolo, who’s, Effiong, couldn’t, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, ” Adejobi, David, ” Effiong, Kelechukwu Uzoka, Eric Umeofia Organizations: Nigeria CNN, CNN, Facebook, Erisco Foods, Nigeria Police Force, Okoli, National, “, Amnesty Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Lagos, West African, ”, ” The Lagos, Erisco’s Lagos

☆ Kenyans struggle to comprehend starvation cult massacre as first bodies are finally released for burial
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( David Mckenzie | Sarah Dean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The family members clutched each other and wailed as attendants pulled small bundles out of the funeral van. On Tuesday, Wanje became the first family member to retrieve the bodies of his relatives for burial after they became victims of a tragedy, dubbed the Shakahola massacre, that many Kenyans find hard to comprehend. Mortuary workers move the remains of several members of the same family who were victims of the Kenyan starvation cult. Forensic experts and volunteers have spent months finding and digging up remains of the cult members. Of those, only 34 positive DNA matches to surviving family members have been made, said Kenya’s chief pathologist, Johansen Oduor.

Persons: “, ” Francis Wanje, ”, Wanje, Paul Nthenge MacKenzie, Luis Tato, MacKenzie, Kithure Kindiki, Yasuyoshi Chiba, Johansen Oduor, Mackenzie, Irungu Houghton, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Getty, Getty Images Government, Kenya National Commission, Human Rights, Prosecutors, Amnesty Locations: Malindi, AFP, Kenya

CNN —At least 12 Palestinians drowned off the northern Gaza coast near Beit Lahia on Monday while trying to reach airdropped parcels that had landed in the sea, according to local paramedics. Abu Mohammad, who witnessed the incident, told CNN the aid was dropped far from the coast into the sea, after which multiple men “who don’t know how to swim drowned” while trying to retrieve it. Aid parcels are dropped onto the shores of Gaza. Palestinians retrieve an aid parcel from the sea. These humanitarian aid drops occur over water and the wind causes the bundles to drift over to land.

Persons: Abu Mohammad, “, ”, haven’t, Al, airdrops, ” Israel, Washington, Israel Katz, Sabrina Singh, Beit, ” Abu Mahmoud al, Nather Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Oxfam, Human Rights Watch, UN Security Council, Security, Amnesty International, Israel Defense Forces, Pentagon Locations: Gaza, Beit Lahia, Al Shati, Gaza City, UN, Israel, Israeli, Egypt, Germany, US, Singapore, UAE, Jordanian

☆ Article 23: Hong Kong passes second national security law aligning city more closely with mainland China
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Coming into effect on Saturday, the law introduces 39 new national security crimes, adding to an already powerful national security law that was directly imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020 after huge and sometimes violent democracy protests the year before. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Lee described it as a “historical moment for Hong Kong.”Lawmakers attend a meeting for Basic Law Article 23 legislation at the Legislative Council on March 19, 2024 in Hong Kong, China. They argue their legislation is similar to other national security laws around the world. “This will surely increase the doubt, anxiety, and uncertainty of foreign businesses in Hong Kong.”In mainland China, national security laws have often ensnared both local and foreign businesses in opaque investigations. That is something Emily Lau, a former pro-democracy lawmaker, also worries about, that what made Hong Kong distinct is fast fading.

Persons: –, John Lee, Hong, Lee, Chen Yongnuo, ”, Hong Kong’s, Eric Lai, Lai, ” Lai, Hung Ho, fung, Capvision, Sarah Brooks, “, ” Brooks, ” Johannes Hack, Emily Lau, I’ve Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, ” Lawmakers, Legislative, China News Service, China’s Communist Party, CNN, Georgetown Center, Asian Law, Johns Hopkins University, Amnesty International, German Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong Locations: Hong Kong, Hong Kong’s, Beijing, China, Amnesty International China, ”, Hong

☆ Netanyahu says he’s trying everything to get more aid to Gaza. Aid groups say that’s not true
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In his interview with CNN, Netanyahu made several claims about his country’s aid policy in Gaza. The Israeli leader’s claim contradicts statements he made previously, in which he boasted about permitting “minimal humanitarian aid” to enter Gaza. “We provide minimal humanitarian aid,” Netanyahu said at a press conference in January. The first 15 days of March saw an average of 165 aid trucks per day cross into Gaza, UNRWA reported Sunday. The UN and other aid groups have reported some of their aid trucks had been looted, but haven’t ascribed any blame for it.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, CNN’s Dana Bash, Netanyahu, Israel, ” Netanyahu, ”, Yoav Gallant, “, “ I’ve, Janti Soeripto, – we’ve, Martin Griffiths, Long, haven’t, Sameh Shoukry, Netanyahu lauds, Philippe Lazzarini, Israel hasn’t Organizations: CNN, Israeli, United Nations, European Union, Children, ” Trucks, UN, Food Programme, Palestine, UNRWA, Amnesty International, Aid, Palestinian, CNN Sunday, Israeli Defense Force Locations: Gaza, United States, Territories, Rafah, Israel, Egypt, Arish, airdrops

CAIRO (AP) — The European Union on Sunday announced a $8 billion aid package for cash-strapped Egypt amid concerns that economic pressure and conflicts and chaos in neighboring countries could drive more migrants to European shores. The package includes both grants and loans over the next three years for the Arab world’s most populous country, according to the European Union Mission in Cairo. The package drew criticism from international rights groups over Egypt’s human rights record. Amnesty International decried the deal and urged European leaders not to be complicit with human rights violations taking place in Egypt. “EU leaders must ensure that the Egyptian authorities adopt clear benchmarks for human rights, said Amnesty International’s Head of the European Institutions Office, Eve Geddie in a statement.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Eve Geddie, Geddie Organizations: Union, Sunday, European, Mission, EU, Amnesty International, Amnesty, Office Locations: CAIRO, Egypt, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Cyprus, Greece, Cairo, Libya, Africa, Saharan Africa, Europe, Israel

☆ ‘Everything he is saying isn’t true’: Congolese governments denounce Trump’s baseless stories about emptied prisons
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“Everything he is saying isn’t true,” Democratic Republic of Congo spokesperson Patrick Muyaya Katembwe told CNN in a text message on Thursday. Facts First: Trump’s claims are baseless. And federal figures show that there is no “very big” influx of Congolese migrants of any kind, let alone former prisoners in particular. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, keeps making claims about emptied Congolese prisons as he criticizes President Joe Biden’s handling of immigration. Official federal data shows that Congolese migrants in general, not ex-prisoners in particular, represent a tiny fraction of overall arrivals.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Patrick Muyaya Katembwe, “, ” Serge Mombouli, ”, Joe Biden’s, Trump, “ I’ve, ” Lewis Mudge, Abdoulaye Diarra, Mark Krikorian, Michelle Mittelstadt scoffed Organizations: Washington CNN, Democratic, CNN, PAC, Trump, Fox News, Human Rights, Amnesty International, Patrol, US Customs, Center for Immigration Studies, Policy Institute Locations: Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic, Republic of, Republic of Congo, ’, United States, Central Africa, Congolese, America, “, Mexico, South America

☆ Israeli tank 'likely' opened fire on reporters with a heavy machine gun, says report
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A UN investigation found that an Israeli tank deliberately targeted identifiable journalists. AdvertisementA UN inquiry found that an Israeli tank killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah in southern Lebanon on October 13, 2023. A second report commissioned by Reuters affirmed that the Israeli tank crew "likely" opened machine gun fire on the journalists. AdvertisementThe report states, "It is considered a likely scenario that a Merkava tank, after firing two tank rounds, also used its machine gun against the location of the journalists." While some journalists like Abdallah were directly targeted, many of the slain media professionals were killed during Israeli bombardments.

Persons: Issam Abdallah, —, Abdallah, O'Brien, Israel, Al, Wael Al, Hamza Al, Mustafa Thuraya, Hamza, Dahdouh, Ahmad Hasaballah, RSF, Hamza al, Khan Younis, Wael Organizations: UN, Amnesty International, Service, Israel Defense Forces, Hezbollah, Reuters, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty, Rights Watch, Al, BI, Ministry of Defense, Protect Journalists, International Criminal Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Al Jazeera, Israeli, Khiam, Al Jazeera Gaza, Rafah, Gaza, Al Jazeera's Gaza

☆ Israeli President Herzog opens Holocaust museum in Amsterdam amid domestic protest
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters —Israeli President Isaac Herzog attended the opening of the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam on Sunday amid pro-Palestinian protests demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. Human rights group Amnesty International put up detour signs around the museum to direct Herzog to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Demonstrators protest against Israel's President Isaac Herzog attending the opening of the new National Holocaust Museum. Peter Djeong/APPeople protested with signs and Palestinian flags near the museum. The museum told media that it had invited Herzog before the Hamas attack and Israel’s subsequent offensive in Gaza.

Persons: Isaac Herzog, “, Herzog, Peter Djeong, Mouneb, Erev, Herzog’s, ”, Israel, ” Herzog Organizations: Reuters, National Holocaust Museum, ” Health, Hamas, Amnesty, International Court of Justice, AP, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Palestinian Community, Socialists International, Court of, Israel, Labor Locations: Amsterdam, Israel, Gaza, The Hague, South Africa, Nazi Germany

☆ Russian election: As Putin readies for a fifth term, the Kremlin is stepping up its war on its own people
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Clare Sebastian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

In January, she was jailed for five and a half years for spreading “false” information about the army. Russian independent news outlet Mediazona reported she was convicted after two reposts on VKontakte — Russia’s version of Facebook — including one about Russian troop deaths. Oskar CherdzhievRussia’s powerful investigative committee ordered a criminal case be opened on charges of spreading false information about the army. So they try to protect this.”‘Deeper and deeper into this darkness’With mainstream Russian media now entirely state-controlled, the authorities are targeting other forms of expression — the arts, literature and culture. In December, Akunin was added to Russia’s “terrorist and extremist list” for allegedly justifying extremism and spreading false information about the Russian army.

Persons: It’s, ”, Oleg Orlov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Orlov, Tatyana Makeyeva, Darya, “, ” Korolenko, Konstantin Eggert, Evgeniya, Nadezhda Buyanova, —, Buyanova, Oskar Cherdzhiev Russia’s, Grigory Chkhartishvili, Boris Akunin, he’s, Akunin, Russia’s, Misha Japaridze, Alexey Navalny, Andrei Soldatov, ” Soldatov, Soldatov Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Higher School of, Center, Combating Extremism, Bolshevik Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Soviet, Orlov’s, Russian, Shakhty, Ukrainian, ” Russia, Covid, USSR

☆ Nigeria: At least 287 school children kidnapped by armed gunmen in northwestern Kaduna State
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —At least 287 school children, some as young as eight years old, are being held by gunmen who raided their school in Nigeria’s northwestern Kaduna State early Thursday, a police spokesperson told CNN Friday. Some of the students were rescued but 287 of them remain with the kidnappers, Hassan said. “Students were kidnapped from the school premises on Thursday morning around 8:00 am (local time). Governor of Kaduna state, Uba Sani said in a statement Thursday that his government was “doing everything possible to ensure the safe return of the pupils and students” kidnapped. In 2021, at least at least 140 students were kidnapped by armed men from a private secondary school.

Persons: Mansur Hassan said, Hassan, ” Hassan, Uba Sani, ”, Sani Organizations: CNN, Secondary School, “, Reuters, Washington Post, National Security, Security, Amnesty Locations: Nigeria’s, Kaduna State, Kuriga, Kaduna’s Chikun, Kaduna, Nigeria, Abuja, Chikun’s Kasarami

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