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☆ Georgia’s Parliament Gives Final Approval to ‘Foreign Agents’ Measure
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Parliament of Georgia gave final approval on Tuesday to a contentious bill that has prompted a series of tense protests in the capital, Tbilisi, spurred by fears that the legislation could push the country back into the Kremlin’s orbit. President Salome Zourabichvili has promised to veto the bill. But Georgian Dream, the governing party in Georgia since 2012, has enough votes to override her veto. Georgia’s justice ministry would be given broad powers to monitor compliance. Violations would incur fines equivalent to more than $9,300.

Persons: Salome Zourabichvili Locations: Georgia, Tbilisi, Caucasus

☆ Police use tear gas, water cannons and stun grenades on 'foreign agent' bill protesters in Georgia's capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

(Photo by Davit Kachkachishvili/Anadolu via Getty Images)Tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons were reportedly used by riot police against protesters in Georgia's capital Tbilisi as demonstrations over a so-called "foreign agent" bill escalated. Clashes lasted until late into Tuesday night, with police trying to disperse protesters which the Georgian internal ministry said were breaking demonstration laws by blocking entrances and exits to the country's parliament. "Totally unwarranted, unprovoked and out of proportion use of force ongoing in Tbilisi against peaceful protesters," Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili said in a post on social media platform X. The bill would force non-governmental organizations, campaign groups and media platforms who receive at least 20% of funding from abroad to register as "foreign agents." They would also be under close scrutiny by Georgia's justice ministry and be made to share sensitive details with authorities, or be faced with large fines.

Persons: Davit Kachkachishvili, Salome Zourabichvili Organizations: Getty Locations: Tbilisi , Georgia, Anadolu, Georgia's, Tbilisi

☆ 29 Killed in Fire at Istanbul Nightclub
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Safak Timur | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A fire Tuesday at a popular Istanbul nightclub that was undergoing renovations killed 29 people and injured one, the governor’s office said. The authorities said the renovation work at the club, Masquerade, may have caused the fire, which took place while the club was closed to the public. The dead and injured included construction workers, the governor of Istanbul, Davut Gul, said in televised remarks. The police arrested six people in connection with the fire, including two partners of the club, two managers, a person who was in charge of renovation work and an accountant, the governor’s office said, but no charges were immediately disclosed. The nightclub is on the two basement floors of a 16-story residential building in downtown Istanbul, raising questions about whether it was following fire regulations including those requiring proper evacuation routes and the use of fire-retardant material.

Persons: Davut Gul Locations: Istanbul

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican on Monday unveiled its groundbreaking project for the upcoming Venice Biennale of Art: A multimedia installation located inside Venice’s women’s prison, created with the active participation of inmates and artists and open to the public under strict security conditions. But at the unveiling Monday, officials stressed the absolute novelty of this year’s Vatican pavilion, given the unprecedented permission from Italian judicial authorities to allow Vatican curators to mount the exhibit in the Giudecca prison and involve the inmates in the works. Half a dozen artists will work alongside them, reflecting Francis’ belief in the value of dialogue, solidarity and fraternity. Most notably, Maurizio Cattelan is producing what curators described as a “large outdoor artwork” on the façade of the prison chapel. The Vatican’s culture minister, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça concurred that the decision to house the Holy See pavilion in the prison was “unexpected."

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis ’, Maurizio Cattelan, Cattelan's, Nona Ora, Pope John Paul II, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Francis, Corita Kent, Marco Perego, Zoe Saldana, Chiara Parisi, Claire Tabouret, Simone Fattal, Giovanni Russo, ’, ” Organizations: VATICAN CITY, Venice Biennale, Catholic, Italian Justice Ministry Locations: Venice, American

☆ Around 170 ‘executed’ in three Burkina Faso villages, public prosecutor says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Nimi Princewill | Eve Brennan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Around 170 people have been “executed” in attacks on three villages in Burkina Faso’s northern Yatenga province, the regional public prosecutor has said. Aly Benjamin Coulibaly said in a statement on Friday that his office was initially informed of the “massive murderous attacks” in the villages of Komsilga, Nodin and Soroe on February 25. At least 15 Muslims and 15 Catholics were killed when “hordes of terrorists launched simultaneous attacks” on Tankoualou and Essakane villages, the government press agency Agence d’Information du Burkina (AIB) reported last week. Large areas of the north and east of Burkina Faso have become ungovernable since 2018. Millions have fled their homes, fearing further raids by gunmen who frequently descend on rural communities on motorbikes.

Persons: Aly Benjamin Coulibaly, Coulibaly Organizations: CNN, Agence d’Information du Burkina, AIB, European Union, Islamic Locations: Burkina Faso’s, Yatenga province, Komsilga, Soroe, West, Mali, Sahel, Burkina Faso

☆ South Korea records record number of Russians seeking asylum
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —A record number of Russians are seeking asylum in South Korea, according to South Korean authorities, with applications surging fivefold last year as Russians became the largest group seeking refuge in the East Asian country. A total of 5,750 Russian nationals sought asylum in South Korea in 2023, according to a report released earlier this month by the Korean Immigration Service. That’s five times higher than the 1,038 who sought protection in 2022 – and more than the total number of asylum applications from Russians recorded between 1994 and 2019. And the trend has continued into this year, with Russians making up the biggest group seeking asylum in January. In the past three decades, just 4,052 people have been recognized as refugees in South Korea from more than 103,000 asylum applications, according to the report.

Persons: South Korea CNN — Organizations: South Korea CNN, South, Korean Immigration Service, Immigration Service, Incheon International Airport, South Korean Justice Ministry, CNN, Customs, Protection Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Kazakhstan, China, Malaysia, Korea, Ukraine, Russia, Korean, Soviet, United States, Moscow

☆ South Korea digital nomad visa: what to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

According to a report in the Korea Herald, South Korea’s Justice Ministry says the digital nomad visa will make remote work and vacations smoother for visitors. The site ranks South Korea highly for nightlife and youth culture, but gives lower marks for LGBT acceptance and English-language accessibility. Meanwhile, South Korea places 49 out of 113 countries on the English Proficiency Index, which puts it in the “moderate” category. Still, Humphries is undeterred in his quest for the South Korea “workation” visa and plans to base himself in Seoul if approved. “The South Korean digital nomad visa is a great step forward for allowing foreigners to reside in the country,” he says.

Persons: Ashley Humphries, he’s, Humphries, Jungho Suh, ”, Suh, ” Jeong Hyun Cho, Jeong, Ed Jones, Gawon Bae, Veronica Lin Organizations: CNN, South Korean, Korea Herald, Korea’s, Ministry, Korean Management Institute, George Washington University, Korea –, Statistics Korea, Human Rights Commission, South Korean Society, Digital Nomads Korea WhatsApp, Getty, Foreigners, South Locations: South Korea, Asia, Dubai, Cayman Islands, Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesian, Bali, South, Seoul, AFP, Korean, expats, Turkey, Norway, Kuwait, North America, Singapore, Japan

☆ Russia used a Zircon hypersonic cruise missile for the first time in recent strike, Ukraine claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Ukraine claims it has evidence Russia fired an advanced hypersonic missile – one that experts say is almost impossible to shoot down – for the first time in the almost 2-year-old war. The government-run Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise said in a Telegram post that debris recovered after a February 7 attack on the Ukrainian capital pointed to the use of a Zircon hypersonic cruise missile by the Russian military. Ukrainian authorities reported four people were killed and 38 others injured in Kyiv during the February 7 attacks, but no casualties have been directly attributed to the alleged Zircon missile. Its hypersonic speed makes it invulnerable to even the best Western missile defenses, like the Patriot, according to the United States-based Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA). Additionally, the MDAA says the Zircon is “a maneuvering anti-ship hypersonic cruise missile” with a range of somewhere between 500 and 1,000 kilometers (310 to 620 miles).

Persons: Serhii, Gorshkov, Vladimir Putin, ” Putin, Yurii Ihnat, ” Sidharth, CNN’s Svitlana Vlasova, Mariya Knight, Andrew Carey, Jack Guy Organizations: CNN, Kyiv Scientific Research, Forensic, Ukraine’s, Ministry, Firefighters, Reuters, Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, Russian, Ukrainian Air Force, Royal United Services Institute, Zircons Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Kyiv, Holosiivskyi, United States, “, Ukrainian, London

She lost her mother and brother when the building collapsed in the earthquake. Damage from the earthquake is still visible in Antakya, Hatay province. Scott McLean/CNNSearch for the missingLast year’s earthquake killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey, and thousands more in neighboring Syria. “If I can’t find his body, then I will be waiting for him my whole life.”Smoke billows from the scene of collapsed buildings on February 7, 2023 in Hatay, Turkey. Smoke billows from the Iskenderun Port as rescue workers work at the scene of a collapsed building on February 7, 2023 in Iskenderun, Turkey.

Persons: Karabas, Sengul, Rukiye, Mehmet, “, ” Karabas, Scott McLean, Guray Ervin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ismail Demir, ”, Sema Gulec, DEMAK, Gulec, Weeks, Batuhan, –, can’t, Burak Kara, Nur, She’s, Khaled Kassar, Kassar, Anwar, Jamal, ” Kassar, Mustafa Kara Ali, Erdogan, Yasin Akgul, Ekrem Imamoglu, Imamoglu, “ Banks Organizations: Southern, Southern Turkey CNN —, CNN, Hatay, Gulec’s, Interior Ministry, CHP, Getty, Development Party Locations: Southern Turkey, Turkey, Syria, Gaziantep province, Islahiye, Antakya, Hatay province, Iskenderun, Hatay, morgues, Syrian, Homs, Gaziantep, Turkish, AFP, Turkey’s, Istanbul, Istanbul’s, Kocaeli

☆ Thailand Deports Dissident Russian Rock Band to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Human rights activists had warned that the seven members of the self-exiled rock band Bi-2 would face harsh punishment if they were sent to Russia. Several band members, however, hold both Russian and Israeli citizenship, and the group had been based in Israel in the 1990s. Earlier this week, Thai immigration officials said the band could choose to be deported to another destination if they felt unsafe to return to Russia. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, welcomed the decision to send the band to Israel. "Human rights concerns won out in Thailand's to let all the Bi-2 band members travel to the safety of Israel," he said(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat; editing by Miral Fahmy)

Persons: Surachate Hakparn, Surachate, Igor Bortnick, Vladimir Putin, Phil Robertson, Panu, Miral Fahmy Organizations: Thai, Deputy Police, Reuters, Tel Aviv ., Russia's, Human Rights Locations: BANGKOK, Russian, Ukraine, Thailand, Israel, Moscow, Phuket, Russia, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Asia, Thailand's

☆ Lithuania Broke Human Rights Laws in Case Tied to CIA Detention Program, European Court Rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lithuania broke European human rights laws by allowing the CIA to subject an alleged 9/11 suspect to "inhuman treatment" in a secret interrogation center in the Baltic country, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday. Al-Hawsawi is now held in Guantanamo Bay on suspicion of being a facilitator and financial manager of al Qaeda. While held in Lithuania, he experienced an extremely harsh detention regime, according to the press release, including solitary confinement, the continuous use of leg shackles and exposure to noise and light. “While not commenting on the specific case, I’d note that CIA’s detention and interrogation program ended in 2009," a CIA spokesperson said. It came to symbolize the excesses of the U.S. "war on terror" because of harsh interrogation methods that critics have said amounted to torture.

Persons: Mustafa Ahmed Adam al, Hawsawi, George W, Bush, Jonathan Landay, Daphne Psaledakis, Bill Berkrot Organizations: WASHINGTON, CIA, of Human, Convention, Lithuanian, Baltic News Service, Lithuania's, U.S, Senate, Republican, Pentagon Locations: Lithuania, Baltic, Guantanamo Bay, al Qaeda, Lithuanian, Washington, Guantanamo, Cuba, New York

☆ Poland's President and Government at Odds Over Dismissal of State Prosecutor
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's justice minister acted illegally in dismissing state prosecutor Dariusz Barski, a top presidential aide said on Monday, opening a new front in the conflict between the head of state and the new government. Justice Minister Adam Bodnar has been tasked with unpicking policies of the previous nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government which critics say increased political influence over the judicial system. "The actions of the justice minister are illegal," Marcin Mastalerek, the head of Duda's office, told private broadcaster Radio Zet. "The president says directly that Mr Barski is the state prosecutor and today - it seems that this meeting has started - that is what he will tell the prosecutor," Mastalerek said. Bodnar said he had given Jacek Bilewicz the responsibilities of state prosecutor on an interim basis while a selection process for a permanent replacement takes place.

Persons: Dariusz Barski, Adam Bodnar, Andrzej Duda, Marcin Mastalerek, Barski, Zbigniew Ziobro, Mastalerek, Duda, Donald Tusk, Bodnar, PiS, Jacek Bilewicz, Alan Charlish, Anna Koper, Ros Russell Organizations: Law and Justice, Union, Radio Zet Locations: WARSAW, Poland

☆ Buildings evacuated as quake rattles Philippine capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Lisa Marie David Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Workers, residents, and students evacuated buildings in the Philippine capital Manila on Tuesday after an earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck off the main Luzon island, according to the state seismology agency and images carried by media. It recorded the offshore earthquake at magnitude 5.9, with a depth of 79 kilometres (49.09 miles). Images shared by media on X showed government workers leaving congress, senate, presidential palace, justice ministry buildings. Three people died from a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck the southern Philippines on Saturday night. A separate magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Mindanao early Monday morning.

Persons: Lisa Marie David Acquire, Michael Orayani, Neil Jerome Morales, Mikhail Flores, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Manila, Philippines, Rights MANILA, Philippine, Luzon, Lubang, Occidental Mindoro, Mindanao

Mendes' account is one of seven given to Reuters by first responders or others dealing with the dead that attest to alleged sexual violence. VICTIMS DEAD, TRAUMATIZEDIn Israeli criminal law, sexual violence includes rape, but also indecent acts, harrassment and sexually demeaning a person – including forced nudity – among other offences. Some of those purporting to show sexual violence could not be authenticated – one seen by Reuters appeared to date to 2021. The news agency verified the locations of two other videos that suggest sexual violence, shared on social media within a day of the attack. Israeli lawyers say its evidentiary requirements on sexual violence are less challenging than Israel's.

Persons: Ronen, Shari Mendes, Mendes, It's, Deen al, Beeri, Taher al, Nono, Orit Soliciano, Neubach, Shelly Harush, Chen Kugel, Kugel, Dana Pugach, Rabbi Israel Weiss, Nachman Dyksztejn, Rami Shmuel, Shani Louk, Yael Vias Gvirsman, Vias Gvirsman, Geert, Jan Knoops, Israel, Peter Hirschberg, Anthony Deutsch, Stephanie Van Den Berg, Edmund Blair, Sara Ledwith, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Nova Festival, REUTERS, Rights, Shura, Reuters, Israel's Association, Association, Authorities, Israel National Center of Forensic Medicine, Ono Academic, Zaka, Police, Criminal Court, ICC, Israel's, Israeli Defence Force, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel's, Israel, Israeli, The Hague, Tel Aviv, Shura, Amsterdam, London

☆ Cops raided gay bars in Moscow and documented its customers 2 days after Russia's top court deemed LGBTQ+ groups 'extremist'
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's top court declared the LGBTQ+ movement extremist, clamping down on gay rights under Putin. Less than two days later, cops raided gay bars and clubs, documenting present customers. AdvertisementRussian security forces raided gay clubs and bars across Moscow Friday night, less than 48 hours after the country's top court banned what it called the "global LGBTQ+ movement" as an extremist organization. The raids follow a decision by Russia's Supreme Court to label the country's LGBTQ+ "movement" as an extremist organization. In 2013, the Kremlin adopted the first legislation restricting LGBTQ+ rights, known as the "gay propaganda" law, banning any public endorsement of "nontraditional sexual relations" among minors.

Persons: —, clubgoers, Vladimir Putin, Max Olenichev, Olenichev, Putin, Andrei Loginov, Olga Baranova, they're, Baranova Organizations: Putin, Service, Police, Russia's, Justice Ministry, Central, Associated Press, Kremlin, Human Rights, Moscow Community Center, AP Locations: Russia, Moscow, St, Russian, Ukraine, Geneva

☆ Russia’s top court bans ‘international LGBTQ movement’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Anna Chernova | Lindsay Isaac | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Russia’s Supreme Court has declared what it called the “international LGBTQ movement” an extremist organization and banned all activities associated with it in the country. Russia’s highest court found in favour of a motion filed by the Ministry of Justice which claimed the LGBTQ community risked “inciting social and religious discord”, in violation of Russia’s Law on Countering Extremism, according to a statement from the UN condemning the decision. The four-hour hearing was held behind closed doors with only the Justice Ministry present for the proceedings and materials classified. LGBT activists take part in a protest against amendments to Russia's Constitution on July 15, 2020. The new law was an extension of legislation introduced in 2013, which banned the dissemination of LGBTQ-related information to minors.

Persons: CNN —, Vladimir Putin, Thursday’s, Shamil Zhumatov, Volker Türk, Putin Organizations: CNN, CNN — Russia’s, Ministry of Justice, LGBT, RIA Novosti, Justice, Constitution, UN Human Rights, UN, Human, Kremlin Locations: West, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Top Russian Court Bans LGBT Movement as 'Extremist'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the "LGBT movement" should be designated as extremist, in a move that representatives of gay and transgender people fear will lead to arrests and prosecutions. A Reuters reporter heard the court announce it had approved a request from the justice ministry to recognise what it called "the international LGBT social movement" as extremist and to ban its activities in Russia. (Reporting by Reuters; writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Persons: Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters, LGBT Locations: MOSCOW, Russia

☆ Top Russian court bans LGBT movement as 'extremist'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Russia's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that LGBT activists should be designated as extremists, in a move that representatives of gay and transgender people fear will lead to arrests and prosecutions. A Reuters reporter in court heard it announce that it had approved a request from the justice ministry to recognise what it called "the international LGBT social movement" as extremist and to ban its activities. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters before the court decision was announced that the Kremlin was "not following" the case and had no comment on it. The Supreme Court took around five hours to issue its ruling, after opening its session at 10 a.m. (0700 GMT). More than 100 groups are already banned in Russia as "extremist".

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Alexei Sergeyev, Alexei Navalny, Sergeyev, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters, LGBT, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, St Petersburg

☆ Gay activists in Russia fear arrest as top court weighs "extremist" listing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's justice ministry asked the Supreme Court this month to recognise what it called "the international LGBT social movement" as extremist and to ban its activities. The ministry said that "various signs and manifestations of extremist orientation, including the incitement of social and religious discord" had been identified in the activities of Russia's LGBT movement, without giving examples. 'EXTREMIST' LISTING CAN FORESHADOW ARRESTSThe justice ministry publishes a list of more than 100 "extremist" groups banned in Russia. "This will all be so underground that, unfortunately, I'm sure there are many people who won't be able to get help," he said. Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Putin, Alexei Sergeyev, Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, Sergei Troshin, Sergeev, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: PETERSBURG, LGBT, Reuters, Orthodox Church, Thomson Locations: Russia, St Petersburg

"Fear is present but it is conscious," said Duntsova, who this month announced she wanted to run for president in the March 2024 election. They say that Putin has restored order and some of the clout Russia lost during the chaos of the Soviet collapse. When asked what she thought of Putin, Duntsova laughed nervously. "When in Europe and the United States they say that Russia and the Russians are Putin - that is not right. She said hardliners in the West and in Russia would be happy to see Russia closing itself off from the world.

Persons: Evgenia, Duntsova, Soviet Union stoked, Vladimir Putin, Putin, chuckled, Indira Gandhi, Africa's Nelson Mandela, Alexandra Skochilenko, Andrei Pivovarov, Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Alexei Navalny, She, Guy Faulconbridge, Ed Osmond Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Kremlin, CIA, Justice Ministry, Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Europe, Russian, RUSSIA, Putin's Russia, United States, Siberian, Krasnoyarsk, Rzhev, Tver

[1/5] Israeli tanks operate in Gaza City, amid the ongoing ground operation of the Israeli army against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, November 22, 2023. The starting time of the truce and release of hostages captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel has yet to be officially announced. Israel's Ynet news website reported that Israel had not yet received the names of the hostages slated for release by Hamas. Israel says 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians and about 240 hostages of different nationalities taken hostage by Islamist gunmen. In retaliation, Israel has subjected Hamas-ruled Gaza to a siege and relentless bombardment.

Persons: Ronen, Tzachi Hanegbi, Kan, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Israel, Khan Younis, Netanyahu, Gilad Korngold, Seven, John Kirby, Catherine Russell, Russell, Grant McCool, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Cynthia Osterman, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, REUTERS, Palestinian Hamas, National Security, Qatar, White House, United Nations, UNICEF, . Security, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Gaza City, Gaza, Israel, Gaza GAZA, JERUSALEM, Palestinian, Khan, U.S, Israel ., Qatar

☆ Palestinian ex-prisoner hopes his son will also be freed in Israel swap
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Yosri Aljamal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HEBRON, West Bank, Nov 22 (Reuters) - For Yusif Abu Maria, the looming Gaza hostage deal is especially personal. Not only is his son on a list of candidates of imprisoned Palestinians to be freed by Israel: It would be a replay of Abu Maria's own release from jail almost 20 years ago. In return, 150 female inmates or teenaged males will be released from Israeli security prisons. Many Israelis see the Palestinian prisoners as dangerous foes whose freedom would raise risks of new and widespread violence. "I feel just like any mother who has a wounded son in jail would," said Yusif's wife, Fida.

Persons: Abu Maria, Abu Maria's, Ubay Abu Maria, Israel, Ubay's, I've, Yusif, Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah, Uday, Dan Williams, Nick Macfie Organizations: West Bank, Gaza, Qatari, Israel's, Ubay, Reuters, Islamic, Prisons Service, Thomson Locations: HEBRON, West, Israel, Gaza, Lebanese

☆ No Gaza Hostage Release Will Start Before Friday, Says Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

The starting time of the truce and release of hostages captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel had yet to be officially announced. "The start of the release will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday," it said. Since the Hamas attack on southern Israel that surprised the government and shocked Israelis, five hostages have been recovered alive. Israel says 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians and about 240 hostages of different nationalities taken hostage by Islamist gunmen. Hamas said the initial 50 hostages would be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children imprisoned in Israel.

Persons: Bassam Masoud, Emily Rose, Tzachi Hanegbi, Kan, Benjamin Netanyahu's, NETANYAHU Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Gilad Korngold, Seven, John Kirby, Catherine Russell, Russell, Grant McCool, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Palestinian Hamas, Hamas, National Security, Qatar, White House, United Nations, UNICEF, . Security, Reuters Locations: Emily Rose GAZA, JERUSALEM, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, United States, Israel ., Qatar, Palestine

☆ Israel-Hamas war: Four-day truce agreed, 50 hostages to go free
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Hamas and allied groups captured around 240 hostages when Islamist gunmen rampaged through southern Israeli towns on Oct. 7. Beyond that, the truce could be extended day by day as long as an additional 10 hostages were freed per day. Hamas said the initial 50 hostages would be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children imprisoned in Israel. The truce deal is a first small step towards peace in the most violent ruction of the 75-year-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict. To destroy Hamas, return all our hostages and ensure that no entity in Gaza can threaten Israel," Netanyahu said in a recorded message.

Persons: Guterres, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al, Alexander Ermochenko, Mona, Joe Biden, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Antonio Guterres, Netanyahu, James Mackenzie, Dan Williams, Emily Rose, Henriette Chacar, Andrew Mills, Steve Holland, Jonathan Landay, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Lincoln, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Peter Graff, Mark Heinrich, Cynthia Osterman, Stephen Coates, Simon Cameron, Moore, Nick Macfie Organizations: Hamas, Israeli, State, Foreign Ministry, Reuters, REUTERS, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Israel’s Defence Ministry, Saudi Foreign, Thomson Locations: GAZA, JERUSALEM, Israel, Gaza, Qatar, Israel ., Jabalia, U.S, Jerusalem, Doha, Washington, Cairo

☆ Relatives of Gaza hostages say stop talk of execution for Hamas detainees
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for the death penalty, which is dormant on Israel's law books. The hostages have already been threatened with execution by Hamas and are at risk of being hurt or killed in the military offensive launched by Israel in response to the Oct 7 attack. "CONFUSED PRIORITIES"The only court-ordered execution in Israel was of convicted Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1962. The conservative Likud party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown little interest in advancing it during its long rule. Linor Dan-Calderon, three of whose relatives are hostages, accused Ben-Gvir's party of having "confused priorities".

Persons: Israel, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Ben, Adolf Eichmann, Benjamin Netanyahu, Linor Dan, Calderon, You've, Eichmann, Timothy Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, REUTERS Acquire, Palestinian, Israel's, National, State, Likud, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza JERUSALEM, Gaza

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