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☆ 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

☆ Opinion | Salman Rushdie Is Not Who You Think He Is
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I feel as if I’ve always known who Salman Rushdie is. In August of 2022, more than 30 years after the fatwa, a fanatic with a knife attacked and tried to kill Rushdie. His latest book, “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder,” is about the attack and its aftermath. This is what I now understand after reading “Knife,” what I now understand after I went and read, for the first time, “The Satanic Verses”: I have never known who Salman Rushdie is. How many people out there do I wrongly think that I know?

Persons: “, Ezra Klein, I’ve, Salman Rushdie, ”, Ruhollah Khomeini, Rushdie, it’s, It’s Organizations: Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Locations: Iran

☆ Malaysia might add a casino to boost troubled $100 billion mega-development Forest City
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Shubhangi Goel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Malaysia may add a casino to Forest City, a mega-development that has turned into a ghost town. AdvertisementMalaysia's Forest City mega-development started with big ambitions and big money. Now, Malaysia is in talks with several high-profile investors to add a casino to Forest City, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Wednesday. AdvertisementThe southeast nation's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met with the heads of a Malaysian property development firm and a resort company at Forest City last week. Expensive, empty apartmentsA casino — which would only be the second in Malaysia — could help struggling Forest City.

Persons: —, Anwar Ibrahim, Ibrahim Iskandar, King Ibrahim, Anwar, They're, Al Marjan Organizations: Service, City, Bloomberg, nation's, Forest City, Garden, Genting Group, Berjaya Corp, Business, United, United Arab Emirates, Las Vegas, downstate Locations: Malaysia, Forest City, Singapore, Malaysia's, Malaysian, Forest, Genting, Marielle, Johor, United Arab, Al, York City, York

☆ What Can ‘Green Islam’ Achieve in the World’s Largest Muslim Country?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | Ulet Ifansasti | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The faithful gathered in an imposing modernist building, thousands of men in skullcaps and women in veils sitting shoulder to shoulder. “Our fatal shortcomings as human beings have been that we treat the earth as just an object,” Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar said. Like fasting during Ramadan, it is every Muslim’s Fard al-Ayn, or obligation, to be a guardian of the earth. Like giving alms, his congregants should give waqf, a kind of religious donation, to renewable energy. Dismayed by the trash sullying the river that the mosque sits on, he ordered a cleanup.

Persons: Nasaruddin Umar, Nasaruddin Organizations: World Bank Locations: skullcaps, Istiqlal, Jakarta, Indonesia

☆ This Ramadan, queer and transgender Muslims made their own community
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Shahamat Uddin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Queer and transgender Muslims came together to break their Ramadan fasts. But for queer and transgender Muslims, this practice of ummah, or the connectedness Muslims feel while exercising their faith together, has often made them feel excluded from traditional Ramadan celebrations. Courtesy of Dinean RobinsonThe iftar — which included prayers led by a queer Muslim community member named Shiffa, and joyful drag-queen performances — was just one of many ways queer and transgender Muslims fostered community this Ramadan. Dena Igusti celebrated this Ramadan with fellow queer Muslims, saying it helped them get back in touch with their faith. In New York City, queer Muslims joined in song and dance at the LGBT Community Center's iftar to celebrate their layered identities.

Persons: —, affirmations, I've, Armana Khan, Dinean Robinson, Khan, Islam, Reimagining, they'd, Kahani, Dinean Robinson Sophia Uppal, Uppal, wouldn't, Dena Igusti, Ramie Ahmed, Ramadan, Igusti, Imam Daayiee Abdullah, We're, MASGD, Shiffa, Center's iftar, Yaffa Organizations: Service, LGBT Community, The, New York, LGBT Community Center, BI, Mecca Institute, Muslim Alliance, Sexual, Diversity, Queer, Shia, LGBT Locations: New York, queerness, Queens , New York, New, Hajj, Mecca, Palestinian, New York City

☆ Opinion | Iran Just Made a Big Mistake. Israel Shouldn’t Follow.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Thomas L. Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

That would be a dangerous misreading of what just happened and a huge geopolitical mistake by the West and the world at large. There must be a consequence for Iran: When the regime fired all those drones and missiles, it did not know that virtually all of them would be intercepted. A missile could have hit al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest shrines. (You can see pictures online of Iranian rockets being intercepted in the skies right over the mosque.) Another could have hit the Israeli Parliament or a high-rise apartment house, causing massive casualties.

Persons: Syria — Organizations: Israel, West Locations: Iran, Israel, Syria, Jerusalem, Aqsa

☆ Ukraine isn't the only country Russia is trying to topple
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Even as Russian bombs pound Ukraine, Moscow's mercenaries and spies are busy trying to set much of the rest of the world afire. To Russia, the conventional warfare waged in Ukraine, and unconventional "gray zone" warfare waged around the world, are two sides of the same coin. Human intelligence operations are used to attempt elite capture through the offer of assistance to politicians who support Russian interests. "As the war in Ukraine protracts, Russia has an interest in creating crises further afield," said RUSI. "As a lot of Russia's unconventional operations are self-defeating, countering Russian unconventional warfare must be premised on careful, selective, and intelligence- driven targeting," the study emphasized.

Persons: —, RUSI, Vladimir Putin, Jack Watling, Oleksandr Danylyuk, Nick Reynolds, Britain —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Business, Kremlin, Soviet Union, NATO, Directorate, Staff of, Armed Forces, Getty, Russian, Central African, Wagner, GRU Expeditionary Corps, Convoy, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Europe, Africa, Central Asia, Soviet, Montenegro, Moscow, Moldova, Russian, Britain, Ukraine protracts, Balkans, Russia's, Libya, Mali, Sudan, Central African Republic, Chechnya, Forbes

☆ Photos challenge misconceptions about what it means to be an American Muslim
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

These are some of the faces featured in “Muslims in America,” an ongoing photography series by British artist Mahtab Hussain. Mahtab HussainSo far, Hussain has documented subjects living in New York, LA, Baltimore and Toronto, Canada. I’ve met people from all over the world in the US who are Muslim: Palestinians, people from all over Africa. Not only do Hussain’s photographs visually challenge the way American Muslims have been portrayed, he has also offered space for his subjects to share their experiences. Mahtab HussainMany members of Dearborn’s Arab American and Muslim American communities have openly rejected Biden for his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

Persons: Julo, Adbul, Candace, Mahtab Hussain, “, ” Hussain, Hussain, Arslan, ”, Riz Ahmed, creatives, I’ve, ” Julo Cisse, Mahtab Hussain Syeda Monique Legette, he’s, ” Itar Mechmechia, ” Dayana Aziz, Abdullah Hammoud, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Netanyahu, Candace Ashley, that’s, Adbul Warsame, Mahtab Hussain Ahmed Mohamed Organizations: CNN, Nike Air Jordans, Pew Research Center, USC, Initiative, USC Annenberg, British Pakistani Muslim, American, The New York Times, Hamas Locations: United States, America, British, New York, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Glasgow, Kashmir, Pakistan, LA, Balitmore, Baltimore, Toronto, Canada, British Pakistani, Africa, Britain, New York City, Dearborn , Michigan, Gaza, American, Israel, Michigan

☆ Man imprisoned in NY calls the opportunity to view eclipse 'sublime' after successful lawsuit against the state
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Inmate Jeremy Zielinski and five others successfully sued the state to view Monday's solar eclipse. "It's impossible to overstate how sublime it is," Zielinski told Business Insider through his attorney. AdvertisementOne of the six incarcerated men who sued New York state for the chance to view Monday's solar eclipse hailed the group's success as "sublime." Advertisement"More than anything, it's a chance to celebrate that beneath any illusions of difference, we all have things in common," Zielinksi told Business Insider through his attorney. The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Business Insider on Monday.

Persons: Jeremy Zielinski, Zielinski, —, it's, Zielinksi Organizations: Service, New, of Corrections, Community Supervision, Business Locations: New York, Woodbourne, Sullivan County, United States

☆ Ramadan in Malaysia: Raids and fines for those caught breaking fast spotlight growing religious conservatism
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In many parts of Malaysia, Muslims caught eating or drinking during daytime hours can find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Those caught eating or drinking during daytime hours face fines of up to 1,000 Malaysian Ringgit (about $200) and prison terms of up to a year. CNN reached out to multiple state religious bodies across Malaysia for comment. Complaints were made to the state religious department, media reports said, and the scandal caused a national stir – drawing scorn from conservative politicians and prompting public apologies from the celebrities. “As long as you look Malay, you must fast during Ramadan – those are the rules,” Yusuf told CNN.

Persons: Rahmad Mariman, ” Mariman, TikTok, ” JAIPK, Hadi Awang, ”, MOHD RASFAN, –, Ameena Siddiqi, Siddiqi, ” Siddiqi, Salahuddin Abdul Aziz, Annice Lyn, Anisah Mahmood, Fadhlina Sidek, “, Haji Ahmad Bin Yahaya, Yusuf, ” Yusuf Organizations: CNN, Malaysian, Islamic Religious Department, JAIM, PAS, Malaysia Islamic Party, AFP, Getty, Annice, Education Locations: Malaysia, Malacca, Perak, Gerik, South, Southeast Asia, AFP, Malaysian, Islam, Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam, Selangor, London, Malay, Johor

☆ Incarcerated New Yorkers will get to observe the solar eclipse after a legal settlement
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Six inmates at a New York prison will get the chance to view the upcoming solar eclipse after they sued. The state corrections department ultimately agreed to let the inmates observe the eclipse. AdvertisementSix men incarcerated at a New York prison will be able to observe the rare solar eclipse that will cross the United States next week after they sued the state. The incarcerated men argued in their lawsuit that the corrections department's decision to lock down its prisons statewide on Monday illegally prohibited them from observing the solar eclipse. Though Woodbourne Correctional Facility is not included on that list, an interactive map by NASA shows that the prison will be impacted, at least partially, by the solar eclipse.

Persons: —, Chris McArdle, Sharon Steinerman, Madeline Byrd, Alston, Thomas Mailey, Mailey Organizations: Service, of Corrections, Community Supervision, New, New York State, Bird, Department of Corrections, Department, Woodbourne, NASA Locations: New York, United States, Woodbourne, Sullivan

☆ Author Maryse Conde, winner of ‘alternative’ Nobel Literature Prize, dies at 90
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Paris (Reuters) — Guadeloupe-born author Maryse Conde, who wrote about colonialism, slavery and the French-Caribbean diaspora, died in southern France on Monday at the age of 90. Often cited as a potential winner of the Nobel prize for literature, Conde was awarded the New Academy Prize in Literature in 2018, created after the Swedish Academy postponed that year’s literary Nobel in the aftermath of a rape scandal. “A literary giant, Maryse Conde paints a picture of sorrow and hope, from Guadaloupe to Africa, from the Caribbean to Provence. “Segu” won Conde several awards, including a Fulbright scholarship, and she went on to teach literature at Columbia University in New York, several other US universities and at the Sorbonne in Paris. French Foreign Trade and Language minister Franck Riester said Conde was a leading light of French literature and theatre.

Persons: Maryse Conde, Conde, Emmanuel Macron, “, ” Conde, “ Segu ”, Salem, Mamadou Conde, Richard Philcox, Philcox, Franck Riester Organizations: Paris, —, New, Swedish Academy, New Academy, Columbia University, Sorbonne, Agence France, Presse, Foreign Trade Locations: — Guadeloupe, French, Caribbean, France, Guadaloupe, Africa, Provence, Mali, Brazil, New York, Paris, Pointe, Guinean, Apt

☆ A group of NY inmates are so desperate to see the upcoming solar eclipse that they're suing to witness the phenomenon
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA rare solar eclipse will soon cross the United States — and six inmates at a New York prison are so desperate to witness the phenomenon that they're suing the state corrections department over it. Related storiesThe lawsuit argues that the corrections department's decision to lock down its prisons statewide on April 8 "illegally prohibits" the group of inmates from observing the solar eclipse. Though Woodbourne Correctional Facility is not included on that list, an interactive map by NASA shows that the prison will be impacted by the solar eclipse. No inmates will be allowed outside to watch the solar eclipse, according to Mailey. The lawsuit says that the atheist plaintiff was granted a special request to view the solar eclipse, but that was before the lockdown rules were put in place.

Persons: —, they're, Sharon Steinerman, Alston, Bird, Thomas Mailey, Mailey Organizations: Service, Business, of Corrections, Adventist, Department of Corrections, Community Supervision, Woodbourne, NASA Locations: United States, New York, Woodbourne, Sullivan County

☆ Opinion: Preaching spiritual coexistence during Ramadan as a Palestinian-Israeli imam
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Opinion Sheikh Khalil Al-Baz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

This year my coexistence organization, Abrahamic Reunion, has hosted our 20th annual coexistence Iftar meal, this time in Jerusalem. Ramadan is a time when Muslims have to think about the other who is less fortunate than themselves. That is the essence of spiritual coexistence, in which your self-image makes room for the humanity of others. Spiritual coexistence means building bridges out of celebration, grief and the acknowledgment of God above us, no matter your faith. An Israeli whose wife was the first Bedouin woman honored with lighting a torch at Israel’s national Independence Day ceremony.

Persons: Sheikh Khalil al, Baz, Sana, Abraham, Gazans, “ Allahu Akbar ”, Allah, God Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces Locations: Tel Sheva, Israel, Palestine, Jerusalem, Gaza, Negev, Tel, Israeli

☆ Winning City Halls, Turkish Opposition Strikes Blow to Erdogan
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Ben Hubbard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last May, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey handily secured another term as head of state, shattering the morale of the political opposition and raising fears among his critics that his hold on the government would enable him to further edge Turkey toward autocracy. This weekend, the opposition struck back. Mr. Erdogan’s opponents secured a surprising string of victories in local elections across Turkey on Sunday, increasing the share of the country’s cities under their control and further ensconcing them in most of the major metropolises. Those opposition victories could serve as a check on Mr. Erdogan’s power at home, analysts said, while enabling rising opposition stars to wield the large budgets of major cities to build their profiles before the next presidential election, expected in 2028. The results were a blow to Mr. Erdogan, 70, who has been Turkey’s predominant politician for more than two decades.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan’s, Erdogan Organizations: NATO Locations: Turkey, United States

The group got a dramatic second wind soon after the Taliban toppled the Afghan government that year. The attack raised ISIS-K’s international profile, positioning it as a major threat to the Taliban’s ability to govern. Counterterrorism officials in Europe say that in recent months they have snuffed out several nascent ISIS-K plots to attack targets there. And now the group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Moscow. “ISIS-K accuses the Kremlin of having Muslim blood in its hands, referencing Moscow’s interventions in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria.”

Persons: Biden, Michael E, “, Qassim Suleimani, Vladimir V, Putin, Colin P, Clarke, ” Organizations: Taliban, U.S, Islamic State, ISIS, military’s, Command, Counterterrorism, Soufan, Kremlin Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, Moscow, State Khorasan Province, U.S, United States, Persian, Europe, Kerman, Iran, Gen, Iranian, Russia, New York, Chechnya, Syria

☆ What we know about the Moscow concert hall attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Nearly a dozen people have been detained in connection with the attack, which saw armed assailants storm a popular concert venue complex on the outskirts of the capital, killing more than 130 people. An unnamed male witness who survived the attack said the gunmen entered the concert hall and “started shooting everyone.”“I was sitting in the hall upstairs where the balconies were. Law enforcement officers outside the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following the attack on Friday. The United States had previously warned Moscow that ISIS militants were determined to target Russia in the days before assailants stormed the concert hall. Video Ad Feedback ISIS claims responsibility for attack in busy Moscow-area concert hall 05:22 - Source: CNNWhat else is Russia saying?

Persons: “, ”, Molotov, Yulia Morozova, Andrey Vorobyov, ” Vorobyov, Olga Maltseva, Amaq, Adrienne Watson, Putin, people’s, Alexander Bortnikov, Maria Zakharova, David Cameron, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Narendra Modi, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Xi Jinping, Antonio Guterres Organizations: CNN, Attackers, Ostorozhno Novosti, Reuters, Crocus City, Russian Emergencies Ministry, Hall, Russia’s, Authorities, Getty, ISIS, SITE Intelligence Group, Islamic, SITE, United, US National Security, RIA Novosti, RIA, Russian Security Service, Russian Foreign, ”, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Kremlin, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, British, India’s, Saudi Arabia’s Crown, United Nations Security Council Locations: Russia, Crocus, Moscow, AFP, Islamic State, United States, ”, Ukraine, ” Ukraine

☆ What We Know About ISIS-K, the Group That Claimed Responsibility for the Moscow Attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The group that claimed credit for the deadly terrorist attack in Moscow on Friday is the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan called Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K.ISIS-K was founded in 2015 by disaffected members of the Pakistani Taliban, who then embraced a more violent version of Islam. The group saw its ranks cut roughly in half, to about 1,500 to 2,000 fighters, by 2021 from a combination of American airstrikes and Afghan commando raids that killed many of its leaders. The group got a dramatic second wind soon after the Taliban toppled the Afghan government that year. During the U.S. military withdrawal from the country, ISIS-K carried out a suicide bombing at the international airport in Kabul in August 2021 that killed 13 U.S. troops and as many as 170 civilians. The attack raised ISIS-K’s international profile, positioning it as a major threat to the Taliban’s ability to govern.

Organizations: Islamic State, Taliban Locations: Moscow, Afghanistan, State Khorasan Province, Kabul, U.S

The intensifying military cooperation between Russia and Niger is central to the dispute between the US and the Nigerien junta, officials said. Russia and Niger agreed to strengthen their military ties in January, Russia’s Defense Ministry said at the time. If the US were forced to withdraw, counterterrorism efforts across the region could take a hit, officials said. In return, Russia is profiting off the region’s natural resources, another official said, including the gold mines in Niger. Several European countries shared this goal, offering a measure of support to the junta, the official noted.

Persons: Michael Langley, Celeste Wallander, Col, Maj, Amadou Abdramane, Langley, Matthew Miller, ” Miller, what’s, Nusrat al, “ Organizations: CNN, US Africa Command, Air Base, American, Nigerien, Russia’s Defense, EU, Pentagon, Kremlin, West, Russian Federation, National Council, Wagner, US Locations: Africa, Russia, Africa . Niger, Niger, United States, America, Nigerien, Sahel, stoking, China, Russian, Central Africa, ”, Niamey, US, Agadez, Mali, Burkina Faso, Abdramane, Western Africa, Northwest Africa

☆ Israel to Attend New Ceasefire Talks as UN Says Gaza Hunger Crisis Worsens
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

DOHA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -The main U.N. aid agency operating in Gaza said on Saturday that acute malnutrition is rising more quickly in the north of the enclave as Israel prepared to send a delegation to Qatar for new ceasefire talks. Israel said on Friday it would send a delegation to Qatar for more talks with mediators after its enemy Hamas presented a new proposal for a ceasefire with an exchange of hostages and prisoners. Israel's ground and air campaign has killed more than 31,500 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. Israel says it puts no limit on humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza and blames slow aid delivery on incapacity or inefficiency among U.N. agencies. Air and sea relief deliveries into Gaza have started, but aid agencies say these are no substitute for bringing in supplies by land.

Persons: David Barnea, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ramadan, Olaf Scholz, Jordan, Andrew Mills, Angus McDowall, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: The United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Hamas, Air, Maayan Locations: DOHA, JERUSALEM, Gaza, Israel, Qatar, Rafah, Cyprus, United States, Doha, Jerusalem

☆ Geert Wilders abandons Dutch PM bid despite election victory
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Populist firebrand Geert Wilders has conceded that he will not become the next prime minister of the Netherlands because his potential coalition backers have refused to back him. “I can only become Prime Minister if ALL parties in the coalition support it. Similarly, Swedish Prime Minister Ulif Kristersson relies on the votes of the increasingly Euroskeptic, anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats. Despite admitting defeat this time, Wilders pledged to continue his push to become prime minister in the future. “Don’t forget: I will still become Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Wilders ’, “, Wilders, ” Wilders, ”, Mark Rutte, Pieter Omtzigt, sanitaire, Jean, Marie Le Pen, Marine, Lionel Jospin, Jacques Chirac, Petteri Orpo, Sanna Marin, Ulif Kristersson, Robert Fico, “ Don’t Organizations: CNN, Democracy Party, Social Contract Party, European Union, National, Socialist, Socialists, Finns Party, Swedish, Sweden Democrats, Georgia Meloni Locations: Netherlands, Europe, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, Georgia, Italy, Slovakia

☆ I lived in Finland for 3 years. Even as an international student, I got a taste of why it's the happiest country in the world.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Mahmudul Islam | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Finland has a reputation for being the happiest country in the world. AdvertisementFinland has been dubbed the world's happiest country for six consecutive years by the World Happiness Report. But happiness in Finland doesn't mean everyone is smiling from ear to ear or that there's a carnival atmosphere on every street. The holy grail of going to school in Finland was receiving free educationI loved my time living and going to school in Finland. AdvertisementBecause of this support from public institutions, Finns enjoy free healthcare and free education from elementary school through university, among other benefits.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Nordic, EU Locations: Finland

☆ This Ramadan, American Muslims say they feel urgent need to send aid to Gaza as threat of mass starvation looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Monica Haider | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

On Friday, the European Union announced it’s opening an emergency maritime aid corridor from Cyprus to Gaza with allies including the US. The day prior, President Joe Biden announced the US Military is planning to build a temporary port along the Gaza coast to try to deliver much-needed humanitarian relief. In 2023, the nonprofit Islamic Relief raised more than $30 million in online donations during Ramadan, according to a spokesman for the organization. The charity, Human Appeal, has provided humanitarian relief in Gaza since 1991, according to Samina Taj, the organization’s associate director of communications. Since the start of the war in Gaza, Taj said their teams have mobilized to try to meet the desperate need for aid.

Persons: Nadia Duwaik, Duwaik, Joe Biden, Israel, Rashid, Dawoud Abo, Jad Shaheen, they’re, ”, ” Duwaik, she’s, Awrad Saleh, “, ” Saleh, Khan, It’s, it’s, Allah, Nasma, Shehadeh, ” Shehadeh, Ashraf Amra, Taj, Ramadan, Noor Traina, Traina Organizations: CNN, Ministry of Health, United Nations, European Union, Military, Dawoud Abo Alkas, Anadolu Agency, Getty, West Bank, Palestinian Children’s Relief, United Nations Agency, Islamic Relief, Islamic, The United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees Locations: Israel, Gaza, United, Cyprus, al, Gaza City, Palestinian American, West, Palestine, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Bethlehem, New York, East, Egypt, Washington , DC, Libya

☆ Muslims spot Ramadan crescent moon in Saudi Arabia, meaning month of fasting starts Monday for many
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Officials saw the crescent moon Sunday night in Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, marking the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan for many of the world's 1.8 billion Muslims. Saudi state television reported that authorities there saw the crescent moon. However, there are some Asia-Pacific countries like Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, that will begin Ramadan on Tuesday after failing to see the crescent moon. In Saudi Arabia, the kingdom had been urging the public to watch the skies from Sunday night in preparation for the sighting of the crescent moon. The Palestinian territories will begin Ramadan on Monday as well.

Persons: Jordan, Saudi King Salman, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ramadan, Robabeh, it's, Prophet Muhammad, Israel, Jerusalem's Organizations: Iran's, Hamas, Islamic Locations: Musyari'in, Jakarta, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Islam, Saudi, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Asia, Pacific, Australia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Oman, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, Mecca, Iran, Tehran, Persian, Nowruz, U.S, Jerusalem's Al, Aqsa, Sudan

☆ Atheists are still reluctant to ‘come out’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Just like people of faith, not all atheists believe the same things. Because atheists are defined by what they don’t believe, it’s difficult to generalize what they do believe. What do atheists believe? Nearly a third of atheists believe humans have souls or spirits in addition to their physical body. It's hard to talk about atheists as a large group because they're defined by what they don't believe in.

Persons: CNN —, Ron DeSantis, it’s, “, Ricky Gervais, ‘, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Nick Fish, ” Fish, don’t, ”, Jason Lancaster, Diana Nyad, Oprah, Will Gervais, Maxine B, Najle, Gervais, ” It’s, —, I’m, Jocelyn Williamson, doesn’t, ” Williamson, “ There’s, Williamson, They’re, Fish Organizations: CNN, Florida Gov, Gallup, Merriam, American Atheists, Pew Research, Getty, Pew, Central, Central Florida Freethought, Central Florida Freethought Community, ” Atheists, Interfaith Council of Central, Christian, Habitat, Humanity Locations: Florida, Central Florida, Interfaith Council of Central Florida

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