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☆ The US military isn't ready for the coming drone war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

The Department of Defense is working on initiatives to face the drone threat, but the US military doesn't yet appear ready to confront this ever-evolving challenge, especially on the scale seen in Ukraine. AdvertisementA US military MQ-9 Reaper drone waits for take-off at Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan on March 9, 2018. US military leaders have repeatedly stressed there's no silver bullet to defeat small drones in battle. Shellie HallStudents there spend several weeks learning how to identify, engage, and defeat small drones. The drone threat draws certain parallels to fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, where hidden bombs posed a tremendous threat.

Persons: GENYA SAVILOV, Mick Ryan, hasn't, you've, Franz J, Marty, Samuel Bendett, Paul Scharre, that's, Mike Parent, Mark Schauer, Parent, Paul Butcher, Cpl, Doug Bush, Amber Osei, Moseph Sauda, doesn't, Sauda, America's, Bram Janssen, Scharre, Justin Bronk, Jack Watling, Ryan Organizations: Business, Troops, of Defense, Department of Defense, Getty, Australian Army, Islamic State, Kandahar Air Base, Defense Ministry, Karabakh . Defense Ministry, Azerbaijan, AP, Pentagon, US Army, Aircraft Systems, Solutions, 71st Jaeger Brigade, US Army Yuma, Technology, Army, sUAS University, US Marine Corps, Force, Central Command, Shellie, National Training Center, US Army Air Defense Artillery, Center, New, New American Security, Base, London's Royal United Services Institute Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Ukraine, prowling, Jordan, Chasiv Yar, Donetsk, AFP, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Avdiivka, Yuma, East, Oklahoma's Fort Sill, California, Fort Sill, China, Luhansk Region, Europe, Iran, New American, Iraq, Washington, Bagram, Kabul, Australian

☆ Ukraine was a magnet for foreign fighters. After 2 bruising years, many are disillusioned or dead.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Zelensky's International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine (ILDU) was born, echoing the International Brigades that fought fascism in the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. According to Ukrainian officials, dozens of Ukrainians were killed and more than 100 foreign volunteers injured, ending their campaigns before they began. AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, FileUkraine originally said 20,000 foreign volunteers had signed up to fight. That could prove "very enticing" for some foreign volunteers, Bocchese said. AdvertisementAn April 2024 increases payments for Ukrainian volunteers, adds new punishments for draft dodging, and seeks to compel Ukrainian men living abroad to come home.

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Carl Larson, Marco Bocchese, Rodrigo Abd, Bocchese, Matteo Pugliese, Pugliese, Larson, Oleksandr Shahuri, Zelenskyy, Lukatsky Organizations: Ukraine's, Service, Legion of Territorial Defense of, Brigades, Royal United Services Institute, International Legion, Legion, Webster Vienna Private University, AP, Washington Post, 59th Motorized Brigade, Company, University of Barcelona, Georgian Legion, International, Army, Green Beret, Navy SEAL, State Department, National Guard, Bolivar Battalion, Associated Press Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, Spanish, Ukraine's, London, Iraq, Kharkiv, Alabama, Russian, Lviv, Bucha, Kyiv, Austria, Montenegro, Kosovo, India, Latin America, Ukrainian, Lyman, Bolivar, Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuelan

☆ Key lines: CNN’s interview with Biden on polls, protests and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —President Joe Biden sat down with CNN’s Erin Burnett on Wednesday for a rare, one-on-one television interview with a member of the national media. But Biden expanded, suggesting protesters have gone too far:There is a legitimate right to free speech and protest. There’s a legitimate right to do that and they have a right to do that. But there’s not a legitimate right to use hate speech. There is not a legitimate right to block people’s access to class.

Persons: Joe Biden, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Biden, Donald Trump, We’ve, they’re, ” Biden, ”, SSRS, Jennifer Agiesta, He’s, I’ve, Trump, won’t, ’, ►, Joe ”, There’s, there’s, Israel, bin, They’re, “ We’re Organizations: CNN, Biden, Trump, University of Michigan, Microsoft Locations: Wisconsin, Midwest, Israel, Racine , Wisconsin, Scranton, “, Gaza, Afghanistan, Iraq, Rafah

has been reporting from Ukraine since the beginning of the war with Russia. He was previously based in London as an international news editor focused on breaking news events and earlier the bureau chief for East and Central Europe, based in Warsaw. He has also reported extensively from Iraq and Africa.

Organizations: East Locations: Ukraine, Russia, London, Central Europe, Warsaw, Iraq, Africa

☆ Latest Updates: NASA Astronauts Prepare for First Launch on Boeing Starliner
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Kenneth Chang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are the NASA astronauts set for Boeing’s flight test of the Starliner spacecraft. She was a test pilot in the U.S. Navy and has more than 3,000 hours flying 30 different aircraft. Mr. Wilmore, a native of Tennessee, was also a Navy test pilot, and he flew combat missions over Iraq and Bosnia in the 1990s. After a glitch-filled test flight in December 2019 with no crew aboard, delays shuffled the astronaut assignments. Indeed, none of the astronauts that NASA named in 2018 to fly on the test flight are on the upcoming test flight.

Persons: Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, Ms, Williams, Wilmore, Mr, ” Organizations: NASA, Boeing, U.S . Navy, Navy, Station Locations: Ohio, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Iraq, Bosnia

☆ Ali Partovi learned to code in a war zone. Now, he's trying to build a new kind of venture fund.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. But amid the chaos, there was one solid thing in Partovi's life, one thing he knew he could always put in order: computer code. Related storiesNow, Partovi has reached the top echelon of seed investors, ranking 13th on Business Insider's Seed 100 list. 'Neo Scholars'Through his seed-stage fund Neo, Partovi has amassed a formidable portfolio of early-stage investments, including Ramp, Deel, Vanta, MosaicML, and many more. As these "Neo Scholars," as they're known, graduate or drop out to build startups, Neo backs them with money from its investment fund.

Persons: —, Ali Partovi, Saddam Hussein, Partovi's, Hadi, Partovi, Facebook, Uber, There's Erik Goldman, Dropbox, Vanta, There's Ari Steinberg, who's Organizations: Service, Business, Boston University, Sharif University of Technology, Harvard, Microsoft, University, CS, Stanford, Facebook, Airbnb Locations: Tehran, Iran, Iraq, North America, Silicon

☆ This is 2024’s new political normal six months from the election
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

It’s just another normal week in American politics as unpredictable forces rock both parties and augur a tense run to an election — now six months less one day away — that could fundamentally change the nation. Prosecutors argue he attempted a cover-up to mislead voters in 2016 in an early act of election interference. She also said that Trump felt it was better to deal with the story after the election than beforehand. Last week, in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Trump refused to guarantee he’d accept the result of the next election. “We have to understand that this is a defining moment for this generation, similar to anti-Vietnam protests, anti-apartheid protests, anti-Iraq War protests,” he said.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, Mike Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, It’s, —, Trump, Story Daniels, Hope Hicks, Hicks, Michael Cohen, Daniels, Emil Bove, Cohen, Trump’s, Biden, James Singer, “ Trump, ” Singer, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mitch Landrieu, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Lyndon Johnson, Landrieu, Democratic Sen, John Fetterman of, ”, Ro Khanna, “, ” Johnson, Johnson, Greene, don’t, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: CNN, Trump, Republican, Georgia Rep, Prosecutors, White House, Nazi Secret Police, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Israel, Republicans, Union, Biden campaign’s, Independent, Democratic, CBS, Hamas, GOP Locations: Gestapo, New York, Gaza, Manhattan, Trump, “ State, Vietnam, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Michigan, California, Iraq, America, Ukraine, Louisiana

☆ Netanyahu's Cabinet votes to close Al Jazeera offices in Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Wael Al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera bureau chief in Gaza, center, comforts relatives at the funeral of his son, Al Jazeera journalist Hamza Dahdouh, killed in an Israeli airstrike, in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. Photographer: Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that his government has voted unanimously to shut down the local offices of Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera. Israel has long had a rocky relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of bias against it. Israel accuses Al Jazeera of collaborating with Hamas. Al Jazeera, the Doha-based broadcaster funded by Qatar's government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Wael Al, Al, Hamza Dahdouh, Antony Blinken, Ahmad Salem, Benjamin Netanyahu, Al Jazeera, Netanyahu, Israel, Al Jazeera's, Saddam Hussein Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images, Al Locations: Al Jazeera, Gaza, Rafah, Qatar, Doha, Israel, Al, East Jerusalem, Iraq

☆ The Russian Army may have defeated Ukraine — if it had followed its own manual
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

It is also evidence of a major reason why Russian troops have often fought poorly in the Ukraine war: they are not following their own playbook. Artem Priakhin/Getty ImagesAssessing current Russian doctrine is difficult. However, the problem may not have been Russian doctrine as much as the overall strategy of the Ukraine war. "There are plenty of aspects to their defense that are entirely consistent with their historical practice and doctrine," Boston said. If the Russian military was that bad, then maybe the Ukrainian military wasn't that good?

Persons: Scott Boston, Artem Priakhin, wouldn't, Ukraine's, Michael Peck Organizations: US, RAND Corp, Kyiv, Russian Army, Aerospace Forces, Warsaw, Kyiv —, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Boston, St . Petersburg, Soviet, Western Europe, Iraq, Forbes

☆ Opinion: The destruction of Gaza isn’t just physical. It’s psychological as well
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Opinion Arwa Damon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

A child shrieks in pain in a medical tent at a field clinic in southern Gaza. It is the psychological obliteration: What makes the trauma different in Gaza is the sheer constancy of it. Trauma compounds trauma every single day; there is no respite, not even a brief one. Death and destruction are not unique to the war in Gaza, but the scale and the scope are, as is the intensity and ferocity. Arwa Damon leads an activity with children at one of the shelters where INARA provides services in southern Gaza.

Persons: Arwa Damon, Arwa Damon CNN I’m, We’re, I’ve, “, you’ve, she’s, mumbling, — “, it’s, won’t, Ahmed, ”, doesn’t, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel, ” Damon, Gazans, he’s, He’s Organizations: CNN, International Network for Aid, Relief, INARA, Twitter Locations: Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Egypt, Israel, Rafah, Cairo, people’s

☆ The US spent so much time fighting insurgents that it forgot 'what it means to actually fight a war,' a US vet in Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Read previewAn American veteran who fought in Ukraine said the US military spent so long focused on fighting insurgents that it forgot "what it means to actually fight a war." Libkos/Getty Images"We've gotten so used to the idea of just fighting guerilla wars and fucking fighting terrorists and everything else that we kind of forgot what it means to actually fight a war," he said. Some Ukrainian soldiers trained abroad said the training they received was not suited to the kind of fighting needed for this war. Ukraine is fighting in conditions very different from what the US and its NATO allies have fought through in recent decades. He said that fighting to clear Russian trenches made him feel like he was "fighting World War I."

Persons: —, Libkos, it's, I've, haven't Organizations: Service, Business, NATO, Russia, Army, REUTERS, State Emergency Service, US, US Army Locations: Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kharkiv, Bakhmut, Europe, Russia, China, Ukrainian, Ukraine's Kharkiv, readying, Avdiivka, Ukraine's Donetsk

☆ Israel is retiring its Patriot missile batteries. They could help a struggling Ukraine.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Israel has never been impressed with the US-made Patriot air defense system. AdvertisementIsrael has never been satisfied with its version of the Patriot air defense system that Ukraine views as essential to its survival. AdvertisementA Patriot air defense system test-fired during a training in Chania, Greece, on November 8, 2017. Israel previously refused a US request for its vintage Hawk missiles, long in storage and out of service, for Ukraine. Jordan requested the US deploy a Patriot missile on its soil in October and helped intercept the Iranian barrage on April 13.

Persons: Israel, —, Israel wouldn't, Ryan Bohl, RANE, Israel isn't, Bohl, Anthony Sweeney, US Army Federico Borsari, Borsari, it's, Jordan Organizations: Scud, Patriots, Service, Israel, Patriot, East, US Army, Center for, Patriot PAC, Patriot's PAC, Analysts, United Arab, Israeli PAC Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Iraqi, Russia, North Africa, Chania, Greece, United States, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia

☆ CNN gets a rare look at the Iranian missiles and drones that hit Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Fred Pleitgen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But he’s more than happy to show the missiles and drones Iran used in its first ever attack against Israel launched directly from Iranian soil. Iran’s attack on Israel included drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. “NATO, The United States and Arab countries of the region wanted to create barriers for our drones, missiles and cruise missiles, but they failed,” Belali says. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that ballistic missiles that reached Israel fell on the airbase and caused only light structural damage. Shahed attack drones on an unmarked truck at an Iranian Revolutionary Guards exhibit in Tehran, Iran on May 1, 2024.

Persons: Tehran CNN —, ”, General Ali Belali, ” Belali, Israel, Belali, Jordan, Fred Pleitgen, Daniel Hagari, John Krzyzaniak, Lockheed Martin Organizations: Tehran CNN, Revolutionary Guard, Islamic, Israel, CNN, Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Revolutionary Guard Aerospace Forces, NATO, Israel Defense Forces, Washington, Wisconsin, Control, ISIS, Lockheed, CIA, Guards Locations: Tehran, Islamic Republic, Israel, Iran, Damascus, Gaza, Iraq, France, United States, Washington ,, Syria, Kurdish, American, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow

☆ Oil falls for a third day as U.S. crude inventories swell
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Oil prices fell for a third day on Wednesday on rising crude inventories and production in the U.S., the world's biggest oil consumer, along with increasing hopes of a ceasefire agreement in the Middle East. Brent crude futures for July fell 47 cents, or 0.5%, at $85.86 a barrel by 0005 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for June declined 53 cents, or 0.6%, to $81.40 per barrel. U.S. crude oil inventories swelled last week by 4.906 million barrels, while gasoline and distillate stockpiles fell, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday. Gasoline inventories fell by 1.483 million barrels, and distillates fell by 2.187 million barrels.

Persons: distillates Organizations: Brent, . West Texas, American Petroleum Institute, Energy Information Administration, Organization of, Petroleum, Reuters Locations: U.S, Israel, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria

☆ New photos show the US Army's latest version of the Bradley fighting vehicle that's proven itself in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe US Army has released photos of the newest and most advanced version of its Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, combat-proven armor that Ukraine has been using against Russia. AdvertisementThe new M2A4E1 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. "The Army received funding to procure the M2A4E1 for every Bradley donated to Ukraine," the PEOGCS said this week. AdvertisementA M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle drives during a live fire exercise at Fort Cavazos, Texas. The Bradley, initially built as a response to Soviet infantry fighting vehicles, entered service in the 1980s and was deployed to the Gulf War the following decade before being sent to Iraq in the 2000s.

Persons: —, Bradley, Bradley IFV, Elbit, Glenn Dean, It's, Washington, David Dumas, The Bradley Organizations: Service, US Army, Bradley, Russia, Army's, Business, Environmental Control Unit, Army, Israel's Elbit Systems, Breaking Defense, Abrams, Bradley Infantry Fighting, Spc, Army Ukrainian, US Locations: Ukraine, Maine, Maj, Kyiv, Fort Cavazos , Texas, The, Iraq

☆ Veteran Collected Benefits After Lying About Purple Heart, U.S. Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Claire Fahy | More About Claire Fahy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A woman in upstate New York was arrested on Wednesday and charged with fraudulently claiming to be a Purple Heart recipient, federal prosecutors said. The woman, Sharon Toney-Finch, 43, of Newburgh, N.Y., defrauded military charities and the Department of Veterans Affairs by lying about having received the Purple Heart, a military award given to those wounded or killed in action, Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement. Ms. Toney-Finch claimed that she had survived a terrorist attack on her convoy in Iraq while serving a tour in March 2010, the statement said. She also claimed to have been wounded in a mortar attack the preceding February. In March 2016, Ms. Toney-Finch began collecting disability benefits from the department after lying about getting injured during her military service, federal prosecutors said.

Persons: Sharon Toney, Finch, Damian Williams, Ms, Toney Organizations: Department of Veterans Affairs, Southern, of Locations: New York, Newburgh, N.Y, U.S, of New York, Iraq

☆ Israel's strike showed Iran's air defenses were 'woefully unprepared.' Here's what Tehran may do next.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The incident in the city of Isfahan may force Tehran to upgrade its air defenses, possibly from more advanced Russian systems, to defend itself from the possibility of larger Israeli missile attacks. While Iranian air defenses failed to stop Israel's strike they have hugely improved in recent years. AdvertisementThe S-300PMU-2 is the most advanced air defense system Iran has acquired from Russia. "In practice, this could go either way, depending on the amount of Israeli missiles that would be hypothetically launched and from where." AdvertisementKhoueiry anticipates that early detection by Iranian air defenses could give these Iranian-made systems "more chances" against Israeli missiles.

Persons: —, Israel, Arash Azizi, Azizi, Freddy Khoueiry, RANE, Khoueiry, Jalaa Marey, Clemson University's Azizi, It's, it's Organizations: Service, Israeli, Economist, Business, Clemson University, Iran's, Rampage, Clemson, Moscow, Russian Locations: Iran, Russian, Isfahan, Tehran, Russia, Israel, Britain, East, North Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israeli, Lebanon, it's, Ukraine, Moscow

IntroductionWhen you complete the FAFSA, your school may offer you any one of three types of federal loans: subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, and Direct PLUS Loans. If your college costs aren't covered completely by the aid offered through the FAFSA, you may have to take out private loans as well. You will have to pay those back, and these should be your last option as private loans often come with worse terms and protections than federal loans. Student Loans: These DO have to be repaid with interestYou can get various types of aid from the FAFSA, and you'll know what you qualify for once your school gives you your complete financial aid package. Ryan Wangman, CEPF Loans Reporter Ryan Wangman was a reporter at Personal Finance Insider reporting on personal loans, student loans, student loan refinancing, debt consolidation, auto loans, RV loans, and boat loans.

Persons: Ryan Wangman, Read Organizations: Loans, Chevron, Finance, Northwestern University, Boston Globe Locations: Iraq, Afghanistan

☆ TikTok Star Is Killed in Third Death of Social Media Influencer in Iraq
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It took less than 46 seconds for the helmeted assassin to pull over his motorcycle, walk to the driver’s side of the S.U.V., yank open the door and fire his handgun four times, killing one of Iraq’s most prominent TikTok personalities, a 30-year-old woman whose name on social media was Um Fahad. The Iraqi Interior Ministry, which released the video, said it had formed a committee to investigate her death. The victim, whose real name was Ghufran Mahdi Sawadi, had become popular on social media sites, especially TikTok and Instagram, where her videos showed her wearing tight or revealing clothing, or singing and cuddling her young son. They won her some 460,000 followers, but also drew the ire of conservatives in Iraqi society and in the government. At one point, officials ordered Ms. Sawadi jailed for 90 days, reprimanding her for a post that showed her dancing at her 6-year old son’s birthday party.

Persons: yank, Fahad, Mahdi Sawadi, cuddling, Sawadi, reprimanding Organizations: Iraqi Interior Ministry Locations: Baghdad

☆ F-16s headed to Ukraine this summer will face their most dangerous battlefield ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Ukraine is slated to receive its much-anticipated fleet of F-16 fighter jets this summer. AdvertisementThe long-awaited delivery of F-16s to Ukraine is on the horizon, and these advanced American-made fighter jets can't come soon enough for its forces. The fighter jets are expected to arrive at some point this summer, reportedly as early as June. Romanian air force F-16 fighter planes fly above the Baza 86 military air base, outside Fetesti, Romania, Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. US Air Force F-16's stand ready with bombs loaded to take off during the first daylight attack to liberate Kuwait in 1991.

Persons: —, Falcon, SAMs, Alexandru, Egypt —, John Baum, Russia —, Baum, KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV Russia's, Tannehill, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mark Rutte, Peter Dejong Organizations: Service, Russia's, Rygge Air Force Base, OLE BERG, Getty, NATO, Kyiv, Israeli Air Force, AP, US Air Force, Operation, Allied Force, Yugoslavia, Air Force, Defense Technical Information, Reuters, Storm, Russia, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, US Navy, SA, Russian, AIM, INA Locations: Ukraine, Balkans, Kyiv, Romania, Norway, AFP, — Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Europe, Lebanon's, Israel, Yom, Romanian, Fetesti, Storm, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Afghanistan, Islamic, Kuwait, Russian, Zhukovsky, Moscow, Bekaa, East, Syria, Russia, Ukrainian, Eindhoven, Rzeszow, Jasionka, Poland, Crimean

☆ Same-sex couples face up to 15 years in prison in Iraq’s LGBTQ crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Nechirvan Mando | Eyad Kourdi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Iraq has passed a new law that penalizes same-sex relations with up to 15 years in prison, a move condemned by rights advocates as the latest attack on the country’s LGBTQ community. Samar called on the US and other countries to put diplomatic pressure on the Iraqi government to revoke the law. He warned that international business coalitions have already signaled that such discriminatory practices could negatively impact Iraq’s economic growth. “Respect for human rights and political and economic inclusion is essential for Iraq’s security, stability, and prosperity. This legislation is inconsistent with these values and undermines the government’s political and economic reform efforts,” Miller said on Saturday.

Persons: ” –, Raad al, Mohsen Al, ” Al, Mandalawi, ‘, I’ve, ” Samar, Samar, Mohammed Shia, Joe Biden, “, ” Matthew Miller, ” Miller, Sarah Sanbar, ” “, ” Organizations: CNN, Iraq, Maliki, Iraqi, US Department of State Locations: Iraq, Iraq Samar, Samar, Al

☆ 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

Baghdad, Iraq CNN —Iraqi social media star Ghufran Sawadi, better known as Umm Fahad, was shot dead outside her home in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, on Friday night, a Baghdad police source told CNN. The attack took place in the Zayouna area east of Baghdad, and was captured on video by a surveillance camera and shared on social media. A Baghdad police source confirmed the authenticity of the video to CNN. Other Iraqi social media personalities have previously been targeted in deadly attacks. Most recently, another popular Iraqi TikTok personality, Noor Alsaffar, known as Noor BM, was shot dead in Baghdad in September 2023, an Iraqi security source told CNN at the time.

Persons: Ghufran, Umm Fahad, Sawadi, ” Sawadi, ”, Noor Alsaffar, Noor, Alsaffar Organizations: Iraq CNN, CNN Locations: Baghdad, Iraq, Iraqi, Instagram

☆ 20 Years Later, a Jury Weighs Claims of Abuse at Abu Ghraib
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The journalist said he was left naked overnight in a cold prison cell with a bag over his head, chained by his wrists to a pipe. The fruit vendor said he was forced to take off his clothes and masturbate, while his captors watched and took photos. The middle-school principal said he was told he would be raped, and that his family would be brought to the prison and raped as well. At a federal courthouse in Alexandria, Va., a jury listened last week to the accounts of three Iraqis who were arrested by U.S. forces after the 2003 invasion of Iraq and then held at Abu Ghraib prison.

Organizations: U.S Locations: Alexandria, Va, Iraq, Abu Ghraib

Organizations: East Locations: Ukraine, Russia, London, Central Europe, Warsaw, Iraq, Africa

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