DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Iran Pays You to Become Trans, but It Comes at a Cost — Your Dignity
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Joshua Nelken-Zitser | Additional Reporting Ida Reihani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

In 2007, The Guardian reported that Iran ranked second only to Thailand in the number of gender-affirming surgeries performed. Related stories"They told me I had two options," she told BI. Molkara, who died in 2012, was instrumental in securing the fatwa that legalized gender-affirming surgeries in Iran. Related stories"The questions were so graphic that my mom, at some point, left the room," she told BI. Homosexuality as a sinJavad Sadidi, a Mashhad surgeon who specializes in gender-affirming surgeries, told BI that the process takes a minimum of two years.

Persons: Varamini, He'd, Becca Kia, I'm, Ajoudani, she's, Vahid, Ruhollah Khomeini, Khomeini's, Maryam Khatoon Molkara, Molkara, Khomeini, Kaveh Kazemi, Legal Medicine Organization —, Pooya, Eugene Gologursky, it's, Sadidi, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, SPENCER PLATT, Elina, Shadi Sadr, who's, Soheil, he's Organizations: Business, Guardian, Eleos, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Revolutionary Guard Corps, State Welfare Organization of, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Legal Medicine Organization, BI, Columbia University, Justice, Tristar Media, United, Lancet, Global Surgery, State Welfare Organization of Iran, Mahtaa Institute Locations: Tehran, Shayan, Iran, Thailand, Tehran's, Islamic Republic, Iraq, London, State Welfare Organization of Iran, Iranian American, Mashhad, Shadi, Iranian, Shadi Sadr, United Nations, Karaj, Canada

☆ How the U.S. Has Played a Role in Venezuela’s Presidential Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Frances Robles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Venezuelans will head to the polls on July 28 to choose a new president, an election that could determine if democracy will be restored to the South American nation. It is also a vote that the United States played a role in helping ensure would take place. Voters will pick between a little-known diplomat named, Edmundo González, and President Nicolás Maduro, the country’s autocratic leader who has been in office since 2013. Here’s what to know about an election important to both countries. The last three American presidents have been united on one policy: hitting the Venezuelan government with tough sanctions in response to corruption, anti-democratic moves and human rights abuses.

Persons: Edmundo González, Nicolás Maduro, Maduro, Biden Organizations: United States, U.S Locations: American, United, Venezuela, Venezuelan

☆ Facing difficult frontline reality and the prospect of Trump in the White House, Zelensky hints at negotiations with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Zelensky suggested Moscow should send a delegation to the next peace summit that he hopes to hold in November. Kyiv is currently facing the double whammy of a difficult frontline situation and political uncertainty over the level of future support from Ukraine’s closest allies. Trump and Zelensky spoke on Friday in what Trump called a “had a very good phone call”. Putin said Russia would end its war in Ukraine if Kyiv surrendered the entirety of four regions claimed by Moscow: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Despite being considerably bigger and stronger than Ukraine, Russia has not managed to fulfil its territorial goals – even when Kyiv was receiving only limited help from the West.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, –, Germany –, Ukraine John Herbst, Donald Trump, JD Vance, Herbst, Trump, ”, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Orysia Lutsevych, Russia … Putin, Lutsevych, Riley Bailey, Bailey, “, ” Bailey, hasn’t, Vance, Libkos, Ukraine wasn’t, doesn’t, ” Herbst, Ukraine doesn’t, you’re Organizations: CNN, NATO, Monday, Aspen Security, –, Chatham House, Kyiv, Trump, Democrats, ” Locations: Russia, Moscow, Switzerland, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine’s, United States, Germany, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Eurasia, Chatham, Kharkiv, Europe, Afghanistan, Crimea, Kerch, Russian

☆ Cyprus marks 50 years of division with Greeks grieving, Turks celebrating
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Turkish military helicopters fly over the military parade in the Turkish-occupied area of Nicosia on Saturday. Petros Karadjias/APPeace talks are now stalled at two seemingly irreconcilable concepts - Greek Cypriots want reunification as a federation. Turkish Cypriots want a two-state settlement. In Turkey, state television focused on violence against Turkish Cypriots prior to the invasion, particularly on bloodshed in 1963-64 and in 1967. Turkey’s invasion took more than a third of the island and expelled more than 160,000 Greek Cypriots to the south.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Petros Karadjias, Mitsotakis, ” Erdogan, Erdogan, ”, Nikos Christodoulides, Loukas Alexandrou Organizations: Reuters, Air, Turkish, NATO, UN, European Union, Cypriot, Turkish Cypriot Locations: Cyprus’s, Nicosia, Turkey, Greece, Turkish, Cyprus, “, Britain, Republic of Cyprus, ” Turkey, Northern Cyprus

☆ Did Police in Kenya Catch a Serial Killer or Coerce a Confession?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | Brian Otieno | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A 26-year-old hair braider named Josephine Owino disappeared one morning last month in the sprawling shantytown of Mukuru Kwa Njenga in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, after going out suddenly to see someone who had just phoned. Ms. Owino’s younger sister, Peris Keya, was desperate to find her, and went to three police stations pleading for help. But nothing happened until Ms. Keya said she had a startling dream one night: Her sister appeared, led her up a hill and begged her to search in a pool of water. The dump was searched only because Ms. Keya, 24, beseeched some local men to help, paying them for the grisly task. On Monday, the Kenyan police announced that they had arrested a suspected serial killer, who they said had confessed to killing 42 women, including his own wife, in the past two years, and throwing them into the dump.

Persons: Josephine Owino, Owino’s, Peris Keya, Keya Organizations: Kenyan police Locations: Kwa, Kenya’s, Nairobi

☆ A Border Crossing Shuttered for Months Traps the Sick and Wounded in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After months of waiting, Fida Ghanem was granted a permit by Israel and Egypt to leave Gaza for urgent lymphoma treatment in the spring. But the next morning, Israeli forces seized the only border crossing from Gaza to Egypt, in Rafah, as part of a military offensive against Hamas in the area. “She should have been allowed to leave as soon as they found the cancer,” said her husband, Maher Ghanem. “But it was delay after delay.”For nearly all Gazans, the southern Rafah crossing has been the only way out since the war began nine months ago. Image Fida Ghanem with her husband, Maher Ghanem, in May.

Persons: Fida Ghanem, Ghanem, ”, Maher Ghanem, Israel, Tania Hary Organizations: Hamas, Aid, World Health Organization Locations: Israel, Egypt, Gaza, Rafah

☆ How Tennessee artist Aaron Lee Tasjan is using music to combat hate
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Randi Kaye | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Tasjan regrets not standing up for him at the time, fearing he would be ostracized by association. “It just feels very instinctual to me, to just fall in love with people.”Aaron Lee Tasjan in 2018 in San Francisco, California. Tim Mosenfelder/Getty ImagesAs an artist and an advocate, Tasjan has his work cut out for him. He lives in Nashville Tennessee, a state that in recent years has passed numerous pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation with more proposed. His LGBTQ-advocacy work in Tennessee, along with his music, is part of that.

Persons: CNN — Long, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Lady Gaga, Jack White, ” Tasjan, CNN’s Randi Kaye, Rufus Wainwright, ”, Tasjan, “, ” Aaron Lee Tasjan, Tim Mosenfelder, …, Bob Dylan, Childish Gambino, Chappell Roan Organizations: CNN, Midwest, Human Rights Locations: Albany Ohio, San Francisco , California, Nashville Tennessee, Tennessee

☆ Elon Musk praises the first prime minister of Singapore as 'brilliant' in response to a glowing blog post about the country's airport
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewElon Musk said that Singapore's first prime minister, touted as the country's founding father, was a "brilliant" man. Mack wrote about Lee's efforts in conceiving Singapore's Changi Airport, which has been named the world's best airport 12 times by London-based research firm Skytrax. Singapore's award-winning Changi Airport. John Seaton Callahan/Getty ImagesBefore Singapore's Changi Airport became operational in 1981, the island state had a small commercial airport located inland on the east side of Singapore, called Paya Lebar Airport. The country's largest public universities, National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, ranked 8th and 15th, respectively, in the 2025 QS top universities rankings.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, George Mack, Lee Kuan, Mack, d1C60XIvNA — Elon, Musk, Lee, Singapore's, John Seaton Callahan, Skytrax, Martin Puddy, Liu Thai Ker, Jon Hicks, it's Organizations: Service, SpaceX, Business, Changi, Changi Airport, Singapore's Changi, Airport, Changi Airport's, Business Times, The New York Times, Financial, Singapore Crowds, Getty, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, QS, Cornell, Princeton, Yale Locations: London, Singapore, Paya, Changi, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Asia, Hong Kong, Singapore's Orchard

☆ Bangladesh protests: Anger over job quotas escalates into deadly violence. Here’s what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Helen Regan | Samra Zulfaqar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Huge protests across Bangladesh escalated into deadly violence this week with clashes between students, pro-government supporters and armed police fueling widespread anger over civil service job quotas opponents say are discriminatory. Many Bangladeshi students are demanding an end to the government’s quota system, which reserves more than half of civil service posts for certain groups. In 2018, the quota system was scrapped following similar protests but in June the High Court reinstated it, ruling its removal was unconstitutional. Critics and protesters say the quota system creates a two-tier Bangladesh where a politically connected elite benefit by their birth. “This is not just about quota protests anymore, this is much bigger than that, in simple quota protests the government wouldn’t go around hurting and shooting students.

Persons: Sheikh Hasina, Hasina, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s, “, ”, Maruf Khan, Stringer, Tahmeed Hossain, –, Hossain, Munir Uz Zaman, Hassan Abdullah, Abdullah, Prothom Alo, ” Hasina, Salman, ” Hossain, Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, ” Dujarric Organizations: CNN, Bangladesh Television, Mobile, Awami League, Getty, Bank, Dhaka University, Bangladesh Chatra League, Rapid Action Battalion, Wednesday, Agence France, Press, Authorities, Student, State Department, ” UN Locations: Bangladesh, Dhaka, State, Pakistan, Australia, Sydney, “, AFP, United States, ”, New, Melbourne, Copenhagen

☆ Selina Cheng: Hong Kong journalist says she was fired by WSJ after taking top post at union under attack by Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —A Wall Street Journal reporter in Hong Kong said she was fired after being elected to lead a press union that has come under attack by Beijing amid a national security crackdown. Selina Cheng, who was elected chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) on June 22, said in a statement posted Wednesday on X that she had been terminated from her job covering China’s car sector earlier in the day. Both Hong Kong officials and Beijing state media have accused it of siding with protesters during the anti-government demonstrations in 2019, a charge the association has denied. But critics have increasingly bemoaned the territory’s shrinking press freedoms since Beijing imposed a national security on Hong Kong after the 2019 protests. “The Wall Street Journal has been and continues to be a fierce and vocal advocate for press freedom in Hong Kong and around the world,” he said.

Persons: Selina Cheng, ” Cheng, “, ”, Hong Kong’s, Cheng, Gordon Fairclough, Emma Tucker, Evan Gershkovich Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong Kong Journalists Association, Hong, CNN, The, CIA Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, London, Singapore, Russia

☆ John Deere backs away from diversity and inclusion efforts after a conservative backlash
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

NEW YORK AP —John Deere says it will no longer sponsor “social or cultural awareness” events, becoming the latest major US company to distance itself from diversity and inclusion measures after being targeted by conservative backlash. The move from the company known on Wall Street as Deere & Co. arrives just weeks after rural retailer Tractor Supply ended an array of its corporate diversity and climate efforts. Both announcements came after backlash piled up online from conservative activists opposed to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, sponsorship of LGBTQ+ Pride events and climate advocacy. “If it’s so polarizing that people just abandon it, then we all lost.”Legal attacks against companies’ diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have also drawn more attention following the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling to end affirmative action in college admissions. That doesn’t mean companies will stop their DEI efforts entirely, she added, but they may have to change language or find new workarounds.

Persons: John Deere, Robby Starbuck, Starbuck, John Deere’s, it’s, ”, Eric Bloem, John Boyd , Jr, John C, Deere, Bud Light, aren’t, SHRM, Johnny C, Taylor, Jr, Jen Stark, Donald Trump, Stark Organizations: Deere, Co, Tractor Supply, Conservative, Human Rights, Associated Press, Supply, Human, ”, Black Farmers Association, Deere &, Labor Department, Target, Society for Human Resource Management, LinkedIn, AP, Center for Business, Social, Heritage, Republican Locations: The Moline , Illinois, Brentwood , Tennessee, BSR, U.S

☆ JD Vance blames U.S. wage losses on China's efforts to build its middle class
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING — U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump's new running mate JD Vance stuck to a hard line on China in his first speech since being selected earlier in the week. "Together we will protect the wages of American workers and stop the Chinese Communist Party from building their middle class on the backs of American citizens," Vance said on the third night of the Republican National Convention. He also called for more factories in the U.S. and restrictions on foreign workers, but did not name specific actions. As the current Ohio Senator, Vance proposed in September a legislation for promoting gas and hybrid-powered cars made in the U.S. and canceling electric car subsidies. The ruling Communist Party of China has been increasingly focused on developing advanced manufacturing and said one of its goals for the year 2035 is to "substantially grow the middle-income group as a share of the total population."

Persons: Donald Trump's, JD Vance, Vance, Trump, — Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, Republican National Convention, Communist Party of Locations: Washington, Beijing, Taiwan, South China, BEIJING —, China, U.S, Ohio, Communist Party of China

☆ Israel-Gaza War: Latest News
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Ephrat Livni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

His speech there before a divided Congress figures to be contentious, particularly if he cannot close a deal with Hamas to end the war before he travels. Image Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel at the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Credit... Ammar Awad/ReutersSome in Mr. Netanyahu’s governing coalition have urged him to oppose a deal with Hamas. Mr. Netanyahu’s grip on power relies on the support of two far-right parties opposed to any agreement that would leave Hamas in power in Gaza. The war has killed more than 38,000 people and led to widespread hunger, according to Gazan health authorities.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Netanyahu, Ronen Zvulun, Yair Lapid, Mr, Lapid, ” Ella Ben, Ami, Ohad Ben, Ben, Be’eri, Raz Ben, Ella Ben, Yoav Gallant, ”, Gallant, Ammar Awad, “, Matthew Miller, Mike Johnson, Dani Elgarat, Nir Oz, Noa Argamani, Elgarat Organizations: Protesters, Hamas, ., Families, Wednesday, Credit, Reuters, Shas, Department, Democratic, Louisiana Republican, Mr Locations: Israel, Washington, Qatar, Egypt, Israel’s, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Gaza, Louisiana, United States

☆ Many supposedly 'neutral' Russian Olympic athletes have cheered on the invasion of Ukraine, rights group says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewAt least two-thirds of the Russian athletes set to participate in the Olympic Games starting next week in Paris are openly defying neutrality rules over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a human rights group claims. However, athletes from the countries can still compete as "individual neutral athletes," or AINs, if they meet certain conditions. As of July 13, 15 Russian athletes had accepted invitations to participate as AINs. Sky NewsThe person who made the post — Russian former gymnast Alexey Nemov — had added commentary railing against Kuliak's critics. AdvertisementThe IOC rules state that athletes can't be "contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies."

Persons: —, Wayne Jordash, Ukraine's, Elena Vesnina, Vesnina, Vladimir Solovyov, Alexander Safonov, Ivan Kuliak, Alexey Nemov — Organizations: Service, Olympic Games, Business, International Olympic Committee, IOC, UN, Olympic, Getty, Global, Sky, Sports Society, Dynamo, —, Central Sports Club, Army Locations: Paris, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, AIN, Anadolu, Russian, Ukrainian, Doha, Qatar, Belarusian

☆ Venezuela’s Maduro says he needs to win reelection to avoid possible ‘bloodbath’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Mauricio Torres | Sahar Akbarzai | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Only a win for his party would ensure “peace” in the country, Maduro said, adding that he expects “irreversible results” in his favor. Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro attend a rally in Caracas on July 16, 2024. Two days after Laboratorio’s report came out, the barred opposition leader Machado said in a post on X that her security chief had also been arrested. CNN has reached out to Venezuela’s Attorney General’s Office for comment on Ávila’s arrest and to determine whether he has legal representation. Maduro is one of 10 candidates vying for the presidency, however, several of them have minimal support and are viewed by the main opposition as government allies.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Maduro, Hugo Chavez, Federico Parra, – Maria Corina Machado, Corina, Laboratorio de Paz, Edmundo González Urrutia, Laboratorio’s, Machado, Milciades Ávila, “, ”, González Urrutia, ” Machado Organizations: CNN, Organization of American, United, Venezuelan, Getty, Laboratorio, Democratic, Alliance for Development, Democracy, Venezuelan Foreign Ministry Locations: Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuelan, Canada, United States, Organization of American States, AFP, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Panama

☆ I was naïve when I moved to London for a better life. It's been difficult and lonely, but I'm not giving up.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Charissa Cheong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewThis as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Jerry Chiemeke, a writer from London, about moving to the UK from Nigeria. AdvertisementI wanted to be known as a writer, but I was unsure whether I should continue developing my career in Nigeria. I wanted to continue building my career as a creative, but I've since found it difficult to find permanent work. Before arriving in the UK, I'd lined up part-time editing work. I've been able to freelance but haven't secured permanent creative work.

Persons: —, Jerry Chiemeke, Muhammadu Buhari, I've, I'm, I'd, It's, haven't Organizations: Service, Business, Nigerian, Global, Visa, Commonwealth, The Arts Council England, Arts Council, London Locations: London, Nigeria, Canada, Lagos, England

☆ Enzo Fernández apologizes for singing racist chant with Argentina teammates about France
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández has apologized for singing a song with Argentina teammates that included racist and homophobic slurs about the French national team. Fernández posted a video to his Instagram account showing several players joining in the chant as the team celebrated Sunday’s Copa América victory over Colombia on the team bus. “I want to sincerely apologize for a video posted on my Instagram channel during the national team celebrations,” Fernández said in a statement. FIFA strongly condemns any form of discrimination by anyone including players, fans and officials.”CNN has contacted the Argentine Federation for comment. On Tuesday, Fernández’s Chelsea teammate Wesley Fofana, a Black French national team player, posted the video on his X account with the caption: “Football in 2024: uninhibited racism.”

Persons: Enzo Fernández, Fernández, ” Fernández, ”, Chelsea, “, ” “, Phillipe Diallo, Fernández’s, Wesley Fofana Organizations: CNN, Chelsea, Argentina, French national, Copa América, Copa, French Football Federation, Argentinian, Copa America, FFF, FIFA, Argentine Federation, Fernández’s Chelsea, French Locations: Colombia

☆ MH17 passengers’ relatives mark 10 years since plane was shot down over Ukraine, killing 298
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Story Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

AP —Relatives of passengers killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine gathered with officials at Australia’s Parliament House on Wednesday to mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy that claimed 298 lives. So in that sense, I’m heartbroken that the conflict continues,” Paul Guard told Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC). Relatives of MH17 passengers join officials at Australia's Parliament House in Canberra. The investigation concluded the missile was driven into Ukraine from a Russian military base near the city of Kursk and returned there after the plane was shot down. Putin said through an interpreter that Ukrainians were all fascists, had brought down MH17 themselves and that Ukraine had no right to exist, Abbott said.

Persons: Paul, Roger, Jill Guard, ” Paul, fatefully, MH17, Mick Tsikas, Penny Wong, ”, “, ” Wong, recommit, Mark Dreyfus, we’ve, ” Dreyfus, Pierre Crom, Tony Abbott, Abbott, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ” Abbott, Russia Organizations: Malaysia Airlines, Paul Guard, ” Paul Guard, Australian Broadcasting Corp, Boeing, European, of Human, International Civil Aviation Organization Council, House, Australian, “, Australian Attorney, Australia, . Security, Aircraft Missile Brigade, Economic Cooperation, ABC Locations: Ukraine, Australia’s, Toowoomba, Russia, Soviet, Russian, Moscow, Ukrainian, Netherlands, Australia, Australia's, Canberra, Schiphol, Malaysian, Kuala Lumpur, Grabovo, Malaysia, Indonesia, United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Philippines, Canada, New Zealand, Vietnam, Israel, Italy, Romania, United States, South Africa, Kursk, Asia, Beijing, Australian

☆ Bosses in China have been accused of making job applicants take pregnancy tests: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewSeveral Chinese companies have been accused of introducing a controversial and illegal new step to their recruitment process: Pregnancy tests. "We can speculate from this evidence that the pregnancy tests were required by these companies, and it had violated women's rights to equal work opportunities," the prosecutors said, according to SCMP. As CNN and SCMP reported, Chinese companies can be fined up to 50,000 yuan, or around $6,900, for gender discrimination. It said that after China scrapped its one-child policy several years ago, the majority of women surveyed by various Chinese companies and women's groups said they had been subjected to discrimination.

Persons: —, Prosecutors, SCMP, Chen, Huang Organizations: Service, Prosecutors, CNN, South China Morning, Business, Human Rights Watch Locations: Nantong, Jiangsu, China

☆ Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida apologizes to people forcibly sterilized under former eugenics law
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Tokyo CNN —Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has formally apologized to a group of plaintiffs who were forcibly sterilized under the country’s decades-long former eugenics law following their lengthy campaign for justice. At least 25,000 people were sterilized under the law, Kishida told a meeting at his official residence of about 130 survivors, many now elderly and in wheelchairs, public broadcaster NHK reported Wednesday. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida apologizes during a meeting with the plaintiffs and their supporters at his official residence in Tokyo on July 17, 2024. Besides an official apology, the plaintiffs have also demanded a compensation law that would benefit all survivors, even those who haven’t filed lawsuits. “I heard the apology directly from the prime minister to the victims, but I think we could have heard it earlier,” said Koji Niisato, an attorney for plaintiffs, according to NHK.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Kishida, “, ” Kishida, Kikuo Kojima, ’, ” “, ”, JIJI Press, haven’t, Koji Niisato Organizations: Tokyo CNN — Japan’s, NHK, Protection, JIJI, Getty, Eugenics, “ Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ US imposes visa restrictions on former IDF sergeant for human rights violation
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Biden administration imposed visa restrictions on former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sergeant Elor Azaria “for his involvement in a gross violation of human rights, namely an extrajudicial killing in the West Bank,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller announced Wednesday. The State Department is “also taking steps to impose visa restrictions on an additional group of individuals for having been involved in or meaningfully contributed to undermining the peace, security, or stability in the West Bank,” Miller said in a statement. “There hasn’t been appropriate accountability across the board” in response to the violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, Miller said at a press briefing Wednesday. A Palestinian, Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, 21, was one of two men accused of stabbing another Israeli soldier in the West Bank city of Hebron in March. At the State Department briefing Wednesday, Miller explained that the US is required to impose visa restrictions on officials found to have committed gross violations of human rights.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Elor Azaria “, Matthew Miller, Azaria, “, ” Miller, ”, Netanyahu, hasn’t, Miller, who’ve, Netzah Yehuda –, Abdel Fattah al Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, West Bank, ”, The State Department, State Department Locations: United States, Palestinian, Gaza, Sharif, Hebron

☆ Israel-Hamas War and Gaza Fighting: Latest Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Ephrat Livni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Settlers are governed by Israeli civil law while their Palestinian neighbors are subject to Israeli military law. “Settler soldiers are actually an armed militia.”Image Israeli army reservists near the settlement of Tekoa in the West Bank in October. From the perspective of some in the Israeli military, settler violence is a threat to Israel’s security. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israeli forces have killed more than 530 West Bank Palestinians since the war in Gaza began, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which tracks West Bank violence on a weekly basis.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Hagit, ’, ” Ms, Ofran, Tamir Kalifa, Bezalel Smotrich, Smotrich, Yehuda Fox, “, ” Matthew Mpoke Bigg, Sheikh Ahmad Organizations: West Bank, The European Union, European Council, United, State Department, “, The New York Times, Mr, Israel’s, Command, Palestinian, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs Locations: United States, Peace, Israel, Jordan, Gaza, West, Palestinian, ”, Tekoa, Al Bireh, Ramin, Deir Abu Mash’al, Ramallah

☆ Rwandans vote in election expected to extend Kagame’s rule
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-15 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Kagame has won more than 93% of the vote at each of the three previous elections. Eight candidates had applied to run against him, but only two were retained in the final list validated by the electoral commission. The others, including Kagame’s most vocal critics, were barred for various reasons that included prior criminal convictions. At the Rwandexco polling center in the capital Kigali, people started queueing 90 minutes before polls opened. Kagame won nearly 99% of the vote in the 2017 poll, which followed a constitutional change removing term limits that would have prevented him from standing again.

Persons: Paul Kagame, Kagame, Pheneas, “, ” Pheneas, ” Kagame, Frank Habineza, Philippe Mpayimana, Karangwa Vedaste, ” Vedaste Organizations: Rwanda Reuters — Voters, Motorcycle Locations: Kigali, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo

☆ Pakistan Says It Will Ban Party of Jailed Former Leader Imran Khan
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-15 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | Salman Masood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Pakistan’s government plans to ban the party of the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, officials said on Monday, a decision expected to exacerbate the political turmoil that has consumed the country for the past two years. The country’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said the government was moving to outlaw Mr. Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or P.T.I., after actions that had posed “a direct threat to the fabric of our nation.”But analysts said the decision — which few expect to be upheld in court — reflected growing desperation by the Pakistani government. It has struggled to assert its authority after an election this year in which the country’s powerful military was accused of rigging dozens of races against the broadly popular P.T.I. “If pushed through, it will achieve nothing more than deeper polarization and the strong likelihood of political chaos and violence,” Asad Iqbal Butt, chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said in a statement.

Persons: Imran Khan, Attaullah Tarar, —, ” Asad Iqbal Butt Organizations: Human Rights Locations: Pakistan

☆ Gambian parliament rejects bid to overturn historic FGM law
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-15 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Gambia’s parliament has voted to uphold a landmark law that bans female genital mutilation (FGM) in the largely Muslim nation, after religious groups pushed for the legislation to be repealed. If Monday’s bid had been successful, the tiny West African country would have been the first in the world to relegalize FGM after criminalizing it. The law also punished perpetrators with life sentences in cases where the practice led to death. In Gambia, 73% of women aged between 15 and 49 years had experienced FGM as of 2020, according to the United Nations. More than 65% of those women were subjected to the practice “before the age of five years,” the UN said.

Persons: CNN —, Yahya Jammeh, Mai Ahmad Fatty, Antonio Guterres Organizations: CNN, Amnesty, United Nations, UN Locations: Gambia

Search resuls for: "HUMAN RIGHTS"

25 mentions found