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☆ In its latest terror response, Russia is no longer attempting to disguise the brutality of its state security
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Their state appeared designed to create an impression of aggression and brutality, showing the consequences of crossing the Russian authorities. Though the brutality of Russia's security services has long been known, never has it been so brazenly paraded, say analysts. "It was no secret that Russian security agencies torture people, mutilate suspected terrorists and generally practice all known ways of extracting information. AdvertisementThe abuse of terror suspects in Russia has been documented before. But the treatment of the Moscow terror suspects seems to mark a new milestone in the normalization of brutality by officials in Putin's Russia.

Persons: —, Mukhammadsobir Faizov, Dalerdzhon, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin, Vladimir Putin, Mirzoyev, Rajabalizoda, Fariduni, mutilate, Anton Barbashin, Akram Azimov, Abror, lionized, Andrei Soldatov, Russia's Wagner, Kenneth Roth Organizations: Service, Business, CNN, Nazi, RFE, Human Rights Watch, St, New York Times, UN, Moscow ISIS, Kremlin, Human Rights Locations: Moscow, Tajikistan, Russia, St Petersburg, Ukraine, Putin's Russia

☆ A 'Dragon Ball' theme park is Saudi Arabia's latest attempt to become the world's playground. Some fans aren't happy.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A huge new "Dragon Ball" theme park is coming to Saudi Arabia, the franchise owner said. AdvertisementA massive theme park devoted to "Dragon Ball" is due to be built in Saudi Arabia. The owners of the Dragon Ball franchise announced Friday that Saudi Arabia's Qiddiya Investment Company would begin building the only theme park in the world devoted to "Dragon Ball," the hugely popular manga series. On one "Dragon Ball" fan subreddit, the news was greeted with comments like: "I'd prefer not to give the Saudis my money." AdvertisementThe news of the theme park came only weeks after the death of "Dragon Ball" creator Akira Toriyama, who died on March 8 aged 68.

Persons: —, Goku, Mohammed bin Salman's, Dragon, Prince Mohammed, Jamal Khashoggi, Akira Toriyama Organizations: Service, Ball, Saudi, Qiddiya Investment Company, Human Rights Watch, Business Locations: Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Qiddiya City, Riyadh, Turkey

☆ EU to Bolster Egypt Ties With Billions in Funding
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

The agreement is designed to enhance cooperation in areas including renewable energy, trade, and security while delivering grants, loans and other funding over the next three years to support Egypt's faltering economy. War in Israel and Gaza View All 222 ImagesInflation has been running close to record highs and many Egyptians say they struggle to get by. Of that, funding from the European Union is expected to total $5-6 billion, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait told Asharq Business. Egyptian officials say Egypt deserves recognition for hosting an estimated nine million foreign residents and largely shutting off irregular migration from its north coast since 2016. CROSSINGS VIA LIBYABut there has been a surge in Egyptians trying to cross to Europe via Libya, and the European Union is already providing funding aimed at reducing those flows.

Persons: Ursula von der, Mohamed Maait, Abdel Fattah al, Egypt's, Patrick Werr, Philip Blenkinsop, Renee Maltezou, Aidan Lewis, Nick Zieminski Organizations: IMF, Diplomats, Cypriot, European, Asharq Business, Rights Watch Locations: CAIRO, Egypt, Cairo, Israel, Gaza, Sudan, Qatar, United States, European Union, LIBYA, Europe, Libya, Crete, Gavdos, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Tunisia, Mauritania, U.S

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

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

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

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

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

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

☆ Russia’s war machine is trying to turn Ukrainian teenagers into soldiers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The Ukrainian teenager was given a Russian passport and sent to a Russian school. And then, in the fall of 2023, not long before his 18th birthday, he received a summons from a Russian military recruitment office. Russia has publicly acknowledged the transfer of Ukrainian children without guardians, despite some having guardians or parents. All Ukrainian teenagers held in Russia, when they turn 18, they are put on a (recruitment) list of Russian military,” told CNN. “It’s a Russian strategy to turn Ukrainian children into Russian children and militarize them.

Persons: Bohdan Yermokhin, Vladimir Putin, who’s, ”, Yermokhin, Ivana Kottasova, Putin, Rights Maria Lvova, Dmytro Lubinets, “, ” Bohdan Yermokhin, Lubinets, ” Lubinets, ” Yermokhin, Lubinets —, Mariupol, ’ ”, Belova, Mykola Kuleba, Filip, ” Yermohkin, Kuleba, It’s, Artem, Russia …, ” Artem Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, CNN, Criminal Court, ICC, Russian, Rights, International Committee, Human Rights Watch, Ukraine, “, Lvova, National Guard, Save Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Moscow, Russian, Russia, Geneva, Chechnya, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Save Ukraine, Belarus, Crimea, Qatar

☆ Some Russians are resisting the state's 'all-pervasive' crackdown on war dissidents – and paying for it
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some 260 people have been jailed for anti-war stances, a Russian human rights organization said. AdvertisementAs Russia's war in Ukraine plods onward, so does its severe surveillance of citizens who have spoken out against the war effort. It's becoming all-pervasive," Orlov said during his trial in Moscow, after which he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, CNN reported. AdvertisementSome 260 people are currently detained in Russian jails for their antiwar sentiments, according to OVD-Info, a Russian human rights group, CNN reported. Russia's tightening grip comes on the heels of the death of Alexey Navalny, one of Putin's top critics whose sudden demise in a Russian prison has been blamed on state actors.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, —, Oleg Orlov, It's, Orlov, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Darya, Evgeniya Mayboroda, Nadezhda Buyanova Organizations: Service, CNN, The New York Times, Human Rights Watch Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, OVD

☆ The North Korean refugees sold to Chinese husbands
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

China considers North Korean refugees to be economic migrants, and forcibly deports them back to North Korea – where, as alleged defectors, they face imprisonment, possible torture or worse, activists say. During that period, she also met other North Korean refugees in the same situation – with their status public knowledge in the village, she said. According to the KFI report, the buying of a North Korean wife is “always known to the local community” but rarely reported to authorities. The other North Korean refugees she’d met in town had connections to brokers who could help them escape, while church organizations and non-profit groups discreetly helped raise funds for the journey. Brokers who remain have raised their prices due to increased risks and surveillance, while newcomers to the business are inexperienced, making it a risky gamble for North Korean refugees.

Persons: South Korea CNN — Chae, –, she’s, Yoonjung Seo, She’d, didn’t, “, ”, Chae, ” didn’t, Kim Jeong Ah, Kim, she’d, we’ll, ” Chae, Seo, Unification Ministry –, She’s, – she’s Organizations: South Korea CNN, North, CNN, North Korea –, Korea Future Initiative, KFI, US State Department, Human Rights Watch, Female North, United Nations, Liberty, Korean, Koreans, Unification Ministry, Brokers Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, China, Laos, Thailand, North Korean, Hebei, Beijing, London, Korea, Korean, North, ”, South, South Koreans

CNN —A road being built by the Israeli military splitting Gaza in two has reached the Mediterranean coast, a CNN analysis of satellite imagery shows. The plan has not been adopted by the IDF, but it includes elements that are coming into existence, including the Netzarim Corridor. Satellite imagery from November shows the tracks emerging, at a time when the military’s focus turned to surrounding Gaza City, advancing from the east. I remember it vividly.”Abu Holi was seldom open, Munther Al-Ashi, a lawyer from Gaza City, told CNN. “If our house in Gaza City has not been shelled, I would like to go back to it.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Al Rashid, Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli, Chikli, Israel, Shimon Orkabi, Volker Türk, ’ Emily Harding, Harding, Jamal Al, ”, ” Al, Rozzi, Khan Younis, “, Munther Al, Ashi, Al Rozzi Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, Al, Diaspora Affairs, IDF, Maxar Technologies, Planet Labs, Hamas, Israeli Engineering Corps, Combat Engineering Corps, Palestinian Friendship Hospital, Palestinian Friendship, UN, Human, Intelligence, National Security, Technology, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Israel, Rights Watch Locations: Gaza, Israel, Netzarim, Israeli, Gaza City, Be’eri, Chikli, Wadi Gaza, Turkish, Washington ,, ”, Rafah, “

☆ Social media firms reject ‘shadow banning’ allegations on Palestinian-related content
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Emma Graham | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Social media firms have responded to allegations of "shadow banning" their users for Palestinian-related content amid the conflict in Gaza, saying that the implication that Big Tech "deliberately and systemically suppress a particular voice" is false. They have been accused of blocking certain content or users from their online communities since the onset of the war between Israel and Hamas which started in October. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, for example, criticized major platforms for allegedly limiting Palestinian-related content about the war. Yet, it is hard for users to trust platforms that control their content from the shadows, based on vague standards," Queen Rania told the Web Summit in Doha. Hussein Freijeh, the vice president of MENA for Snapchat, told CNBC's Dan Murphy at Web Summit Qatar last week that these firms have "a really important role to play in the region."

Persons: Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, Queen Rania, Hussein Freijeh, CNBC's Dan Murphy, Freijeh, Israel Organizations: Tech, Hamas, Human Rights, Snapchat, Web Summit Qatar, Meta, Facebook, Journalists Locations: Gaza, Israel, Doha, Palestine

☆ Israel-Hamas War: Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Ephrat Livni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Image Six days of hearings began at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on Monday. Credit... Peter Dejong/Associated PressThe International Court of Justice in The Hague began hearing arguments on Monday on the legal consequences of Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem and the West Bank. It will not be legally binding on Israel, and the country has ignored such opinions from the court before. The United Nations General Assembly first asked the top U.N. court to consider Israel’s activities in Palestinian territories more than two decades ago. In 2004, the court concluded that a wall that Israel was building around the territories violated international law.

Persons: Peter Dejong, Riyad al, ” Omar Awadallah, Israel, ”, Clive Baldwin Organizations: International Court of Justice, ., Associated, Court of Justice, West Bank, Maliki, Palestinian Foreign Ministry, United Nations, United Nations General Assembly, Governments, Human Rights Watch Locations: The Hague, East Jerusalem, United States, Britain, China, Russia, Israel, Gaza

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghan women feel scared or unsafe leaving their home alone because of Taliban decrees and enforcement campaigns on clothing and male guardians, according to a report from the U.N. mission in Afghanistan. The U.N. mission’s report, published Friday, said the decrees are being enforced through arrest, harassment and intimidation. Photos You Should See View All 33 ImagesOver half of the women interviewed for the report felt unsafe leaving the house without a male guardian, or mahram. Some women said that male relatives were also afraid and reluctant to leave the home with female relatives, as this would expose them to Taliban harassment. It seemed to be a specific goal of the Taliban to frighten women and girls out of leaving their homes, Barr said.

Persons: Heather Barr, Barr Organizations: Qatari, Doha, Virtue Ministry, Human Rights, Associated Press Locations: ISLAMABAD, Afghanistan, Doha

☆ Opinion: In Navalny’s death, echoes of Stalin
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —We don’t yet know the exact details of jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny’s death, reported Friday by the Russian prison service — and we may never find the precise truth. When the Wall fell, Putin was a KGB officer in Dresden in what was then East Germany. And the most dangerous thing a Russian leader can do is lose a war as the Romanovs did in World War I, which helped spark the Russian revolution in 1917. By contrast with Gorbachev, Stalin ruled with an iron fist and was critical to the Allies winning World War II. How will news of Navalny’s death be received in Russia?

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, Alexey Navalny’s, Kamala Harris, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Navalny, Andrei Sakharov, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Mikhail Gorbachev, ” Gorbachev, quagmire, Alexis de Tocqueville, Gorbachev’s, Gorbachev, Stalin, Tucker Carlson’s, Boris Nadezhdin Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, Trump Administration, CNN, Munich Security, Human Rights, Soviet Union, Soviet, Kremlin, Great, Literature Locations: New America, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Soviet, Eastern Europe, Dresden, East Germany, Afghanistan, Russian

☆ World Court Holds Hearings on Israel's Occupation of Palestinian Territories
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Stephanie van den BergTHE HAGUE (Reuters) - A record 52 states will present arguments about the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the U.N.'s highest legal body. The ICJ's six days of hearings starting on Monday come after the U.N. General Assembly asked the court in 2022 for an advisory, or non-binding, opinion on the occupation. It is the second time the U.N. General Assembly has asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, for an advisory opinion related to the occupied Palestinian territory. “The International Court of Justice is set for the first time to broadly consider the legal consequences of Israel’s nearly six-decades-long occupation and mistreatment of the Palestinian people,” said Clive Baldwin, senior legal adviser at Human Rights Watch. While Israel has filed a written statement with the court, it has not asked to participate in the hearings.

Persons: Stephanie van den Berg, Omar Awadallah, Israel’s, ”, Clive Baldwin, Josie Kao Organizations: HAGUE, Reuters, International Court of Justice, General Assembly, Palestinian Foreign Ministry, Israel, West, General, West Bank, Court of Justice, Human Rights Watch, Governments, Court, United Nations Locations: Palestinian, Israel, Gaza, West Bank, East Jerusalem, Palestine, Egypt, West, Africa, Holy City, Jerusalem, United States, Russia, China, South Africa

☆ Saint Vincent Court Rejects Challenge to Colonial-Era Anti-Gay Laws
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Robertson S. HenryKINGSTOWN (Reuters) - The top court in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines dismissed a challenge to anti-gay laws dating to British colonial rule on Friday, leaving the Caribbean country among a handful that still prescribes harsh criminal penalties against gays and lesbians. Local laws call for up to ten years incarceration for anyone who has same-sex relations, under a 1988 criminal code that upheld laws from the colonial era. In her ruling, Judge Esco Henry held that Johnson and Macleish did not have the standing to challenge the laws since they do not live in the country. Activists argue that the laws that criminalize consensual same-sex relations between adults encourage physical abuse and discrimination, even though they are rarely if ever enforced. But elsewhere in the Caribbean, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, and Barbados have decriminalized gay sex in 2022, while Trinidad and Tobago struck down its ban altogether in 2018.

Persons: Robertson S, Henry KINGSTOWN, Javin Johnson, Sean Macleish, Judge Esco Henry, Johnson, Macleish, Cristian Gonzalez, Saint Vincent, Henry, Sarah Morland, David Alire Garcia, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal, Activists, Rights Watch Locations: Saint Vincent, Grenadines, Caribbean, Jamaica, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Guyana, Grenada, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Barbuda, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Kingstown, Mexico City

☆ Iran-backed Houthi rebels are seizing on the Israel-Hamas war to recruit more child soldiers, watchdog reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The militia is using Palestinian solidarity to attract young recruits in Yemen. Researchers and activists told HRW that the Houthis are using Palestinian solidarity as a way to recruit children in Yemen. Advertisement"The Houthis are exploiting the Palestinian cause to recruit more children for their domestic fight in Yemen," said HRW researcher Niku Jafarnia. The Houthis have also infiltrated numerous government institutions in Yemen, including its defense and education departments, to recruit children. "[Recruitment] activities in schools have increased massively [since October 7], including through the school scouts," one activist told HRW.

Persons: —, there's, Niku Organizations: Service, Human Rights Watch, HRW, UN Locations: Yemen, Israel, Gaza

☆ Analysis-Indonesia's Prabowo Poised for Power, but How Will He Rule?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

One major question is how well, and for how long, his alliance with outgoing President Joko Widodo, or "Jokowi", will hold. On the campaign trail Prabowo has promised policy "continuity", but analysts say that is far from guaranteed. "Make no mistake a President Prabowo would be his own president." 'UNCERTAINTY' ON THE CARDSIn contrast to Jokowi, Prabowo is from an elite family, the son of a prominent Indonesian economist and the ex-son-law of the country's former authoritarian ruler, Suharto. Once his victory is officially endorsed, Prabowo will assume the controls of Southeast Asia's biggest economy on October 20.

Persons: Kate Lamb JAKARTA, Prabowo Subianto, Prabowo, Long, general's, Joko Widodo, Liam Gammon, Jokowi, Doug Ramage, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Indonesia's, Kevin O'Rourke, Suharto, “, He's, ANU's Gammon, Gammon, Kay Johnson, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Defence, Australian National University, ANU, Jokowi, Analysts, Human Rights Watch Locations: Indonesia, Prabowo, BowerGroupAsia, Indonesian, Ukraine, Qatar

☆ Indonesia election: Over 200 million will head to the polls across vast nation in world’s biggest election day
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —More than 200 million eligible voters will head to the polls in Indonesia on Wednesday, in what is billed as the world’s biggest single-day election. Mascots depicting presidential candidate and Indonesia's Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto (L) and vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka (R) in an election event on February 5, 2024. He has strong links with Islamic political groups, and his vice-presidential pick, Muhaimin Iskandar, is the leader of Indonesia’s largest Muslim political party, the National Awakening Party. A presidential candidate needs a simple majority of at least 50% of total votes and 20% of votes in more than half of the country’s 38 provinces to win. The use and abuse of AIWith more than 210 million Internet users, Indonesia boasts one of the world’s largest digital populations.

Persons: Suharto’s, Prabowo Subianto, he’s, Suharto, ” Kenneth Roth, Ganjar, Mahfud, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Adek Berry, Anies Baswedan, Muhaimin Iskandar, Anies, –, Basuki Tjahaja, Joko Widodo, Jokowi, Prabowo, Gibran, Jokowi’s, ”, Adrian Vickers, Vickers, “, Yusof, Maria Monica Wihardja, ” Wihardja, Sayyidatiihayaa, Satya Bumi, ” Sayyidatiihayaa, Ulet Ifansasti Organizations: CNN, Human Rights Watch, Princeton University, Indonesian Democratic Party of, Indonesia's Defence, Getty, Former Jakarta, Islamic, National Awakening Party, University of Sydney, Prabowo, Lembaga, Transparency International, Indonesia Locations: Indonesia, United States, Central Java, Jakarta, Indonesia’s, AFP, Chinese, Indonesian, Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, Nusantara, Borneo

☆ Rafah airstrikes: Israeli attacks kill more than 100 in Rafah as international alarm mounts over anticipated ground offensive
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Smoke billows during Israeli bombardment over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024. In a statement Monday, Hamas condemned what it said was a “horrific massacre” by Israel against civilians in Rafah. ‘The dead are better than us’For the more than one million Palestinians in the southern city, the expected push into Rafah is causing alarm and fear. Rafah is the last major population center in Gaza not occupied by the Israeli military. Olfat Hamdan said she had witnessed dead bodies on the streets of Gaza City, noting that “nobody was able to drag them or move them.”“What have I seen?

Persons: Abu Yousef Al, Rafah’s, Fernando Simon Marman, Louis Har, Nir Yitzhak, Smoke, Said Khatib, Danial Hagari, …, Jens Laerke, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Stéphane Dujarric, Israel’s, Netanyahu, Joe Biden “, Israel, ” Netanyahu, We’re, ”, ‘, ” Mohammad Jamal Abu, Khan Younis, El, ” Mahmoud Khalil Amer, Al, Tal, ” Abdul Kareem Al, Qaseer, Olfat Hamdan Organizations: CNN, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Najjar Hospital, Israel Defense Forces, Israel Security Agency Shin Bet, Police, Getty, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Human Rights, United Nations, UN, United Kingdom, Sunday, UN’s Security, Maxar Technologies, ABC News, IDF, “, Hamas, of Health Locations: Palestine, Gazan, Rafah, Shaboura, Gaza, AFP, Sheba Tel Hashomer, Israel, Israeli, Hamas’s, ”, Aqsa, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United, Saudi, Gaza City, Al Shati, “, People, Tal El Hawa, Khan

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 drove millions into poverty and hunger after foreign aid stopped almost overnight. “Women and girls have been disproportionately affected by the healthcare crisis, particularly because of Taliban abuses,” said the report. “The loss of foreign development aid and Taliban rights violations have caused a catastrophic health crisis in Afghanistan that is disproportionately harming women and girls,” the report quoted Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, as saying. Fifteen of the interviewees, 12 women and three men, were with Afghans who had sought health care. The rights group also talked to Afghan healthcare officials, 10 women and eight men.

Persons: ”, Fereshta Abbasi, Abbasi Organizations: Rights Watch, NATO, Food Program, Human Rights Watch, HRW, Mercy Corps Locations: ISLAMABAD, New York, Afghanistan, Samangan

☆ Indonesia Presidential Frontrunner Skips Press Freedom Event
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Two of Indonesia's three presidential contenders pledged to protect press freedom in the world's third-largest democracy at a weekend event that frontrunner Prabowo Subianto didn't attend. On the last day of campaigning, ex-Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and ex-Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo signed the National Press Council's written declarations to uphold democracy and press freedom. It was unclear if Prabowo, represented at the Saturday event by the head of his campaign team, signed the declaration. He denies the accusations, but critics have questioned Prabowo's commitment to protecting human rights. "Two of the main political teams have done Indonesian voters a service by sharing their views," said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

Persons: Prabowo Subianto didn't, Joko Widodo, Anies Baswedan, Ganjar Pranowo, Prabowo, pip, Rosan Roeslani, Rosan, Ganjar, Elaine Pearson, Bernadette Christina Munthe, Ananda Teresia, Kanupriya Kapoor, Tom Hogue Organizations: Central Java, National Press, Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch Locations: JAKARTA, Jakarta, Asia

☆ Kremlin, Commenting on Purported Mariupol Death Toll, Accuses Ukraine of Many Civilians Deaths
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Friday it had not yet reviewed an assessment by Human Rights Watch on how many people had been killed in the city of Mariupol, but accused Ukrainian forces of being responsible for many civilian deaths there. At least 8,000 people were killed by fighting or war-related causes in Russia's months-long conquest of Mariupol, one of the biggest battles of the nearly two-year war between Russia and Ukraine, according to Human Rights Watch. Commenting on the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Ukrainian forces of using civilians in Mariupol as human shields and of shooting them in the back. "But we do know that a great many civilians died at the hands of the neo-Nazis who were trying to defend Mariupol at that time. They used civilians as human shields, shot them in the back.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Human Rights Watch, Human Rights, Mariupol, Kyiv, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Mariupol, Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Putin references Russian hitman in German jail as he suggests ‘agreement can be reached’ on detained US reporter Gershkovich
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Nathan Hodge | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested “an agreement can be reached” with the United States to release detained American journalist Evan Gershkovich, as he brought up the conviction of a “patriotic” Russian hitman in Germany. Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested last March while on a reporting trip in the country. When Putin said Gershkovich was working with US special services, Carlson did push the Russian president, saying: “This guy is obviously not a spy, he’s a kid. In fact, journalists have repeatedly been requesting interviews with Putin, but the Russian President had declined to grant access. The Russian President suggested that the path to ending the war in Ukraine was through direct negotiations between Washington and Moscow.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Evan Gershkovich, Tucker Carlson, Putin’s, Carlson, Putin, “, ” Putin, ”, Natalia Kolesnikova, Gershkovich’s, “ He’s, Evan, ” Danielle Gershkovich, Biden, Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, He’s, Vadim Krasikov, Krasikov, Viktor Bout, Brittney Griner, Whelan, “ Evan, ” “ Evan, “ We’re, Viktor Orbán, Javier Milei, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ Putin, railroaded Tucker Carlson, Jill Dougherty, Dougherty, Armin Wolf, Joe Biden, Dmitry Medvedev Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Street Journal, Federal Security Service, Novosti, US State Department, Getty, White, Russian, Street, Big Tech, International Criminal Court, Rights Watch, Russia’s, Kremlin, NATO, Republicans Locations: United States, American, Russian, Germany, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, Russia, US, AFP, Berlin, Chechen, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Austrian, Washington, Poland, Belarus, Israel

Democratic senators on Friday called Biden's directive — meant to bring breadth, oversight, deadlines and teeth to efforts to ensure foreign governments don't use U.S. military aid against civilians — historic. “This is a sea-change in terms of how you approach U.S. military aid and its impact on civilians,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said. Human rights advocates said the challenge for the new directive would be the same faced by all previous efforts to withhold U.S. weapons and funding from human rights abusers — whether administrations will actually enforce the human rights conditions against strategically important allies and partners. Foreign governments that fail to provide those assurances on time would have their military aid paused. Those “are honored in the breach,” Roth, the human rights expert, said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Massachusetts Sen, Elizabeth Warren, who'd, Maryland Sen, Chris Van Hollen, ”, Kenneth Roth, Antony Blinken, isn't, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Karine Jean, Pierre, “, ” Jean, Pierre said, Leahy, —, ” Roth, it's, ” Van Hollen, — Seung Min Kim Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democrats, Ukraine, Democratic, Capitol, White House, Maryland, Human Rights Watch, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, U.S, Foreign Assistance Locations: Gaza, Israel, Russia, Massachusetts, what's, Ukraine, Israeli, United States, U.S

☆ More Than 8,000 Killed During 2022 Mariupol Siege - Human Rights Watch
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Emma FargeGENEVA (Reuters) - At least 8,000 people were killed by fighting or war-related causes in Russia's months-long conquest of Mariupol, one of the biggest battles of the nearly two-year war between Russia and Ukraine, according to Human Rights Watch. The Human Rights Watch assessment, based on satellite and other images of grave sites, is one of the only independent estimates of the death toll so far. Human Rights Watch said the total could be significantly higher than its estimate since some graves have been known to contain multiple bodies and some sites might not have been identified. The full 224-page report 'Our City Was Gone: Russia's Devastation of Mariupol, Ukraine' compiled with NGO Truth Hounds and architecture practice SITU, also draws on some 240 interviews with mostly displaced Mariupol residents. "Russian forces' devastation of Mariupol stands out as one of the worst chapters of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine," said Ida Sawyer, crisis and conflict director at Human Rights Watch, calling for governments to investigate.

Persons: Emma Farge GENEVA, Mariupol, Ida Sawyer, Emma Farge, Thomas Balmforth, Peter Graff Organizations: Human Rights Watch, United Nations Locations: Mariupol, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian

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