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☆ 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

Twenty-seven other states allow open carry of guns without a permit, including nearly every state in the Deep South. To encourage training, the Senate bill would pay at least $4 million to hold free classes across the state. The Senate's version left plenty of supporters of the open carry idea unhappy, including gun rights groups. Palmetto Gun Rights said it believes in “100% firearms liberty” and is an affiliate of the National Association for Gun Rights. He put the blame squarely on the South Carolina House, saying last week that representatives are keeping “the ‘revolving door’ for career violent criminals wide open.”

Persons: ”, Bobby Cox, Shane Massey, “, Tommy Dimsdale, Henry McMaster’s, don’t Organizations: COLUMBIA, South Carolina's General Assembly, Republican, National Rifle Association, Palmetto, Rights, South, South Carolina Republicans, Palmetto Gun Rights, National Association for Gun Rights, Gov, South Carolina House Locations: South Carolina's, Greer, South Carolina, “

The problem underscores a widely held consensus that Virginia’s mental health care system is in urgent need of reform, due to what Gov. Improving mental health care became a priority in the U.S. like never before as the pandemic brought new levels of isolation, fear and grief, in addition to pre-existing crises such as rising drug overdose deaths and the struggles burdening teen girls. Survey data from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that in 2022, about half of adults with any mental illness did not receive treatment. Elsewhere in the U.S., states' policy concerns and approaches to improving mental health care have varied. Mental health was listed as a budget priority in most states in an analysis by the National Association of State Budget Officers.

Persons: — John Clair, Clair, ”, Glenn Youngkin’s, Virginia’s, we’ve, Brian Hepburn, —, John Littel, ” Littel, Youngkin, they're, it’s, Katherine McGuire, candor, he's, “, ____ Geoff Mulvihill Organizations: Clair's, Marion Police Department crisscross, Marion, Army, Gov, Republican, Mental Health Services Administration, National Association of State Mental Health, National Association of State, American Psychological Association, “, Assembly Locations: RICHMOND, Va, Virginia, U.S, Cherry Hill , New Jersey

Special elections Tuesday could provide a high-stakes assessment of how suburban voters feel about the border, abortion rights, the two leading presidential candidates and whether the House of Representatives should be led by Democrats or Republicans. In another race, to fill a vacant seat in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, Democrat Jim Prokopiak is in a close race against Republican Candace Cabanas. But it’s the New York race that has the attention of election-watchers because of its amplified importance in the closely divided House of Representatives. Should Democrats prevail in the toss-up election, they'll flip the seat held by Santos and give themselves some momentum heading into November. Pilip has cast Suozzi as weak on border security, a powerful issue in a state where migrants have been transported after coming over the southern border.

Persons: George Santos, Democrat Jim Prokopiak, Republican Candace Cabanas, Santos, Don Levy, Tom Suozzi, Mazi, Levy, Pilip, Suozzi, Bill Cunningham, Tom Bonier, Bonier, Cunningham, Joe Biden Organizations: Democrats, Voters, Republican, Assembly, Democrat, York, GOP, Siena College Research Institute, Democratic, Rep, Federal, Commission Locations: , New York, Pennsylvania, York, New York

“My fellow Marylanders: you know me," Hogan begins in a video released by his Senate campaign. When he announced his decision not to run for Senate two years ago, Hogan expressed confidence he could win. The rarely open Maryland Senate seat already has drawn U.S. Rep. David Trone into the Democratic primary, as well as Angela Alsobrooks, the county executive of Prince George's County in the suburbs of the nation's capital. Hogan was only the second Republican governor to ever win reelection in Maryland, a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1. Running on fiscal concerns as a moderate Republican businessman, Hogan tapped into voter frustration over a series of tax and fee increases to defeat then-Lt. Gov.

Persons: Larry Hogan, hasn't, Hogan, Donald Trump, “, ”, Mitch McConnell, Democratic Sen, Chris Van Hollen, Sen, Ben Cardin, Trump, Nikki Haley, David Trone, Angela Alsobrooks, Prince George's County, Gov, Anthony Brown, Freddie Gray, Maryland’s, Charles Mathias, Mathias Organizations: — Former Maryland Gov, U.S . Senate, GOP, Republican, Maryland, United States Senate, Democrats, Democratic, Senate, “, United Nations, South Carolina Gov, Maryland Senate, Rep, Prince, Seven Republicans, Republicans, General Assembly, National Guard, Republican U.S Locations: ANNAPOLIS, Md, Republican U.S, U.S, Maryland, Prince George's, Trone, Baltimore, Vietnam

There's broad agreement that some kind of public comment time management is necessary in Virginia's sessions, which generally run no longer than 60 days. When the opponents' six minutes ran out after only three speakers, Watts attempted to cut the group off. Gilbert also suggested the limited public comment could have been by design in this instance. By the end of the public comment, then-sponsor Sen. Chap Petersen, a Democrat, threw up his hands and said: “Do what you want with the bill. She also questioned why the Senate is not taking online public comment in subcommittees or allowing the submission of written public comments.

Persons: —, “, ”, Sally Hudson, Del, Vivian Watts, Watts, Michael Grey, Melinda Wallin, Ryan Mehaffey, I'd, Wallin, We've, ” Watts, ” Wallin, legislates, capitols, can’t, Todd Gilbert, Gilbert, Sen, Chap Petersen, Megan Rhyne, Joan Porte, she’s, Creigh Deeds, Deeds, “ there's Organizations: Capitol, University of Virginia, GOP, Democrat, Delegates, Virginia Coalition, Open Government, League of Women Voters, Democratic Locations: RICHMOND, Va, Spotsylvania County, Richmond, Virginia

Since most Americans last voted for Congress, thousands of people have been added to certain voting districts — and subtracted from others — under new political maps enacted following court rulings. Here's a look at how voting districts have changed — or could change — before the November elections and what affect that could have on the battle for control of Congress. Perhaps the most notable is Florida, where a trial judge in September ruled that U.S. House districts pushed by Republican Gov. Litigation over congressional districts also is lingering in Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin. The reshaping of voting districts matters, but doesn't necessarily pre-determine the outcome of elections.

Persons: George Santos, Ron DeSantis, “, ”, Chris Warshaw, Warshaw, Jeffrey Wice Organizations: Republicans, GOP, George Santos of New, Supreme, Republican, Assembly, Democratic, New, New York Legislature, Republican Gov, Florida Supreme, George Washington University, Voters, New York Law, Redistricting Locations: November’s U.S, Alabama , Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina . New York, New, George Santos of, George Santos of New York, U.S, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, New York, Florida, Arkansas , South Carolina , Tennessee , Texas , Utah, Wisconsin

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would revive a new commission that some Democrats say is aimed at disrupting Fulton County District Fani Willis' prosecution of former President Donald Trump. “This has never been about the district attorney from Fulton County,” Robertson said on the Senate floor. However, the panel was unable to begin operating after the state Supreme Court in November refused to approve rules governing its conduct. Robertson's bill and a separate bill approved by the Georgia House of Representatives remove the requirement that the state Supreme Court approve the rules. The state Senate voted for the change 29-22, mostly along party lines.

Persons: —, Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Republican Randy Robertson, ” Robertson, Brian Kemp, Republican State Sen, Rick Williams, “, Sen, Elena Parent, Parent, Robertson, Willis, Colton Moore Organizations: ATLANTA, Republican, Commission, Georgia Gov, Georgia, House, Republicans, Republican State, “ Prosecutors, General Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Atlanta, Chattahoochee

McLEAN, Va. (AP) — A Virginia Senate committee on Tuesday rejected legislation that would have allowed a referendum on a casino in the wealthy suburbs of the nation’s capital. The committee rejected a motion to kill the bill outright, instead opting to carry the bill over to 2025 for future consideration. A study commissioned in 2019 by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee found that a northern Virginia casino could generate $155 million annually in tax revenue, more than any of the other casinos built in Virginia. Virginia voted in 2020 to allow locations in five cities, subject to referendum. Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth and Norfolk all voted for a casino; Richmond voters twice rejected a proposed casino in that city.

Persons: Sen, Louise Lucas, Lucas, ” Sen, Jennifer Boysko, David Marsden, Marsden, ” Marsden, “, Scott Surovell, Connie Hartke, ”, “ We're Organizations: Senate Finance, Assembly, Fortune, Fairfax, Audit, MGM, Reston Citizens Association, Richmond Locations: McLEAN, Va, Virginia, Fairfax County, Tysons, ”, National Harbor, Potomac, Reston, Petersburg, Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth, Norfolk, Richmond

☆ Lowitja O’Donohue, trailblazer for indigenous Australian rights, dead at 91
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Lowitja O’Donoghue, one of the most respected and influential Aboriginal activists in Australian history, has died at age 91. Other titles included Australian of the Year in 1984, Australian National Living Treasure in 1998 and many others. O'Donoghue won many accolades and titles for her fierce campaigning for the health and rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Mark Baker/AFP/Getty ImagesIn 2010, the Lowitja Institute was established in her honor, to promote the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. “Aunty Lowitja dedicated her entire lifetime of work to the rights, health, and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Persons: Lowitja, O’Donoghue, Pope John Paul II, O'Donoghue, Mark Baker, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, ”, Nana Organizations: CNN, Torres Strait, of, British Empire, Royal Adelaide Hospital, United Nations General, Getty, Lowitja, Aboriginal Locations: Adelaide, of Australia, British, Irish, Indulkana, South Australia, Australian, AFP, Australia

☆ Brazil's Candidate to Head Interpol Says Time for Non-Western Leader
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Anthony Boadle and Ricardo BritoBRASILIA (Reuters) - Interpol should elect a new head from a developing nation to diversify the organisation and boost its credibility as crime becomes increasingly globalised, Brazil's candidate to head the international police agency, Valdecy Urquiza, told Reuters. This would help Interpol strengthen global cooperation to combat transnational crime, said Urquiza, currently Brazil's Federal Police Director for International Cooperation. Interpol's executive committee will elect a new secretary general Feb. 13 for a five-year term, succeeding its current head, Juergen Stock of Germany. The selected candidate will be put to Interpol's General Assembly in November. "Interpol cannot be used for geopolitical ends, so it is important that the secretary general comes from a neutral country, and Brazil has that.

Persons: Anthony Boadle, Ricardo Brito, Valdecy Urquiza, Urquiza, Britain's Stephen Kavanagh, Faisal Shahkar, Moscow, Brazil's, Ros Russell Organizations: Ricardo Brito BRASILIA, Reuters, Interpol, Federal Police, International Cooperation, Juergen, Germany, Police Services, Assembly Locations: Europe, United States, Nawa, Zambia, Pakistan, Lyon, France, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil

The South Carolina Supreme Court reversed course last summer when it upheld the ban after striking down a similar version. An earlier lawsuit by Planned Parenthood argued that the law violated patients' right to privacy. Susanna Birdsong, a lawyer for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, responded that abortion providers have had to make that more conservative interpretation because of the “onerous penalties” for noncompliance. Planned Parenthood has stopped providing abortions when “early embryonic electrical activity” is visible by ultrasound, the group wrote in Monday's filing. “We’re righting for every inch of ground in South Carolina," Birdsong said.

Persons: Taylor Shelton, Katherine Farris, Ultrasounds, Shelton, dismissively, —, — Shelton, “, ” Shelton, John Kittredge, Shane Massey, ” Massey, Susanna Birdsong, Birdsong, Pollard Organizations: COLUMBIA, Republican, South Carolina, South, South Carolina General Assembly, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: South Carolina, Charleston, North Carolina, Wilmington

☆ Opinion: UNWRA’s day of reckoning is near
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Opinion Michael Bociurkiw | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Editor’s Note: Michael Bociurkiw (@WorldAffairsPro) is a global affairs analyst and former UNICEF spokesperson for Gaza and the West Bank. But UNRWA funding differs from other UN agencies such as UNICEF, in that it’s mostly dependent on government funding. And that’s why countries pulling funding — as they have done this past week — is such a potentially fatal blow to its operations. Tiny Jordan already hosts at least 2 million Palestinians, including many from Gaza who arrived decades ago. Note: This op-ed has been updated to reflect the latest number of UNRWA employees Israel alleges were associated with Hamas’ October 7 attack.

Persons: Michael Bociurkiw, Read, Michael Bociurkiw Chrystia Chudczak, Khan Younis, Mohammed Talatene, Israel —, there’s, Abed Zagout, Tiny Jordan, Ashraf Amra Organizations: UNICEF, West Bank, CNN, United Nations, UNICEF —, Toyota, Cruisers, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel Defense Forces, UNRWA, West, UN, Assembly, Palestinian Authority, UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, Getty, World Health Organization Locations: Gaza, East, Children’s, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Philadelphia, City, Canada, Germany, Rafa, Anadolu, Egypt, Qatar, Deir al Balah

☆ Algeria Pushes UN Security Council to Demand Gaza Ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Michelle NicholsUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Algeria has drafted a U.N. Security Council resolution to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, a move that the United States - a council veto power - opposes because it says it would only benefit the Palestinian militants. It was not immediately known when or if Algeria's draft resolution could be put to a vote. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, Britain, France, China or Russia to be adopted. The U.S. and Israel oppose a ceasefire, believing it would only benefit Hamas. Earlier in December the 193-member U.N. General Assembly demanded a humanitarian ceasefire, with 153 states voting in favor of the move that had been vetoed by the United States in the Security Council days earlier.

Persons: Michelle Nichols UNITED, Israel, U.N, Michelle Nichols, Diane Craft Organizations: Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, Reuters, Security, Hamas, International Court of Justice, General Locations: Algeria, Israel, United States, Gaza, Britain, France, China, Russia, U.S, Washington

Virginia is not the only state grappling with skill games, but the efforts there reflect points in a larger debate nationwide as they have exploded in popularity. It is also backed by skill games producer Pace-O-Matic, which has given hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations to legislators in recent years. It would tax skill games revenue at 15% and would not explicitly limit the total number of machines that could exist. The skill games debate is a rare issue that doesn't split along partisan lines, and lawmakers have gone around and around on it for years. The General Assembly voted in 2020 to ban skill games, taking on the issue at the same time they were clearing the way for casinos for the first time.

Persons: ”, Sen, Aaron Rouse, Louise Lucas, Pace, Rouse, Chris Cylke, Ahmed Makhani, —, ” Cylke, Mark Peake, “, ” Peake, Democratic Sen, Jeremy McPike, Prince William County, McPike, Matt Hortenstine, Hortenstine, Lucas, Glenn Youngkin's, Christian Martinez, Ralph Northam Organizations: Senate Finance Committee, ABC, American Gaming Association, Republican, Democratic, Virginia Lottery Board, J Ventures, Accel Entertainment, Republican Gov, General, Virginia Supreme Locations: RICHMOND, Va, Virginia, Virginia Beach, Commonwealth, Lynchburg, Georgia, Illinois

☆ UNRWA Could Shut Down by End of February if Funding Does Not Resume
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA (Reuters) - The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Thursday that it will most likely be forced to shut down its operations in the Middle East, including in Gaza, by the end of the month if funding does not resume. A string of countries including the United States, Germany and Britain have paused their funding to the aid agency in the wake of allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel. "The agency remains the largest aid organization in one of the most severe and complex humanitarian crises in the world," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement. "If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region." Israeli authorities have long called for the agency to be dismantled, arguing that its mission is obsolete and fosters anti-Israeli sentiment, something UNRWA has vigorously denied.

Persons: Philippe Lazzarini, defunding, Benjamin Netanyahu, Nidal Al, Jana Choukeir, Clauda Tanios, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kevin Liffey Organizations: DOHA, Reuters, United Nations Palestinian, World Health Organization, WHO, UNRWA, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, General, West Bank Locations: Gaza, United States, Germany, Britain, Israel

☆ West Bank hospital raid: Undercover Israeli troops kill three militants, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Abeer Salman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Jerusalem CNN —Israeli special forces, dressed as civilians and medical staff, infiltrated the Ibn Sina hospital in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday and killed three Palestinian men, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials. Hamas said the men were Jenin Brigades fighters, an umbrella group of armed Palestinian factions in the West Bank city. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they were terrorists linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and an Israeli government minister praised the operation. The disguised special forces “infiltrated the hospital individually, headed to the third floor, and assassinated the young men,” Palestinian state news agency WAFA reported, citing sources from inside the hospital. International law provides general and special protection for civilian sites, including hospitals,” the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Persons: Ibn Sina, “, WAFA, Mohammed Jalamneh, “ Mohammed Al, Mohammed’s, Raneen Sawafta, Reuters Israel’s, Itamar Ben Gvir, ” Ben Gvir, Ibn, Mohammed, Basil Ayman Al, ”, Basil Al, Ghazawi Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, West, Jenin Brigades, West Bank, Israel Defense Forces, Islamic, Sina, Basel Al, Reuters, National, IDF, Al, Brigades, Ibn Sina, Palestinian Ministry, Health, UN, Assembly Locations: Jerusalem, West Bank, Jenin, ”, hijabs

☆ The demise of the UN’s Palestinian agency could spell disaster for millions. Here’s why Israel wants it dismantled
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Here’s what that could mean for the millions of Palestinians that rely on UNRWA for sustenance. The agency provides a wide range of aid and services to Palestinian refugees and their descendants. While its purpose is to support Palestinian refugees, UNRWA does not have a mandate to resettle them, a mandate that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) does have. Millions more Palestinian refugees live in neighboring countries like Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, and rely on aid from the agency. At one UNRWA school shelter in Deir al Balah, Gazans said they were worried about the suffering to come if UNRWA’s aid is suspended.

Persons: Leo, ”, Majdi, Deir al Balah, Gazans, Um Mohammad Al Khabbaz, “ What’s, António Guterres, “, Yuval Shany, ” Shany, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel Katz, ” Katz, Israel doesn’t, …, Shany, ” Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, United, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel, UNRWA, United Nations, UN, Refugees, UNHCR, Palestinian, CNN Sunday, Hebrew University, Jerusalem’s, State Department, US, Gaza Locations: United Nations, United States, Israel, Gaza, New York, Geneva, Brussels, UNHCR, Palestine, UNRWA’s, Crescent, Deir el, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Deir al, Palestinian

☆ Why Domicide Should Be a Crime Against Humanity - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Balakrishnan Rajagopal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Opinion Domicide: The Mass Destruction of Homes Should Be a Crime Against HumanityThe widespread or systematic destruction of homes has long been a feature of modern warfare. We all understand that killing can be a murder, a war crime, a crime against humanity or an act of genocide, depending on the gravity and intention of the act. Indeed, what has happened to homes and lives in Gaza is a stand-alone crime: domicide. There is precedent for updating what we legally define as international crimes. Accountability for domicide in Gaza cannot stop with potential criminal prosecutions or declaratory judgments by courts someday in the future.

Persons: Yaqeen Baker, It’s, I’ve, Israel, Enshrining Organizations: West Bank, Israel, United, International Court of Justice, General Assembly, Marshall Locations: Jabalia, Gaza, Aleppo, Grozny, Myanmar, Canada, Syria, United Nations, Dresden, Rotterdam, Mariupol, Israel, Hiroshima, Geneva, Rome, domicide, United States

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina has joined a nascent nationwide effort to improve outcomes for more prisoners who return to society through an approach focused on education, health care and housing. More than 18,000 people are released annually from the dozens of North Carolina adult correctional facilities, the order says, facing obstacles to a fresh start from their criminal record. The council said that North Carolina is the third state to officially join Reentry 2030, after Missouri and Alabama. And Greg Singleton, a continuing-education dean at Central Carolina Community College in Sanford, is himself an ex-offender, having served four years in prison in the 1990s. “What if God didn’t give second chances — where would any of us be?” Singleton asked.

Persons: Roy Cooper, ” Cooper, “, Todd Ishee, Cooper, Joe Gibbs, Greg Singleton, didn’t, ” Singleton, ” Organizations: —, Gov, Council of State Governments, Transportation Department, of Health, Human Services, Republican, Assembly, NASCAR, Super Bowl, Life, Central Carolina Community College Locations: RALEIGH, N.C, — North Carolina, North Carolina, Missouri, Alabama, Carolina, Sanford

☆ Israeli dossier details UNRWA workers’ alleged involvement in October 7 attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Alex Marquardt | Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Of the 13 UNRWA employees alleged to have been associated with the attack, the Israeli document alleges 10 were Hamas operatives, two were Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives and one is unidentified. It also alleges that at least one UNRWA employee supplied logistic support to the attack. In a statement Sunday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said nine UNRWA staff members at the center of the allegations had been fired. At least 152 UNRWA staffers have been killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began, according to the agency. Israel has strongly opposed calls for a ceasefire, maintaining that it needs to press on with its aim of eliminating Hamas.

Persons: CNN — Israel, Israel, Jack Lew, David Satterfield, Stephane Dujarric, UNWRA, Philippe Lazzarini, António Guterres, ” Guterres, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Organizations: CNN, United Nations, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Islamic Jihad, Middle East, UN, UNRWA, Assembly, UN’s, Hamas, of Health Locations: Gaza, Israel, East, Germany, Norway, Ireland, Turkey, Saudi Arabia

☆ UNRWA: What we know about Israel’s allegations against UN staffers in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Hira Humayun | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has fired several employees in the wake of the allegations, which have not been made public. UNRWA was established by the United Nations after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war to provide humanitarian assistance for displaced Palestinians. At least 152 UNRWA staffers have been killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began, according to the agency. Neither Israel nor UNRWA have specified the nature of the alleged involvement of UNRWA employees in the events of October 7, nor did they specify the number of employees allegedly involved. “A case was compiled by the Intelligence Directorate, incriminating several UNRWA employees for their alleged involvement in the massacre, along with evidence pointing to the use of UNRWA facilities for terrorist purposes,” the IDF statement said.

Persons: Israel, –, Philippe Lazzarini, “, ”, ’, António Guterres, Guterres, United Nations Gilad Erdan, Syria hadn’t, Benjamin Netanyahu, Micheál Martin tweeting, ” Mustafa Barghouthi, Husseim Al, Sheick, Yoav Gallant, Israel Katz, Lazzarini, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, CNN’s Mitchell McCluskey, Benjamin Brown, Heather Law, AJ Davis, Ibrahim Hazboun, Rob Iddiols, Amir Tal, Akanksha Sharma, Lauren Izso, Caitlin Hu Organizations: CNN, UN, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, UNRWA, United Nations, United Nations ’, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, Saturday, Intelligence, UN Security, US State Department, Palestinian National Initiative, International, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, Israel’s, Foreign, The Agency Locations: Gaza, Palestine, Israel, Ukraine, Yemen, Syria, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany

The Senate voted 30-19 along party lines Friday for Senate Bill 358, sending it to the House for more debate. The chamber's Republican majority also on Friday pushed through a proposal to ban ranked-choice voting in Georgia on a 31-19 party-line vote. Raffensperger, also a Republican, says it is unconstitutional for the Senate to give the State Election Board the power to oversee an elected official. Activists have been pushing the State Election Board to investigate whether Raffensperger mishandled his audit of Fulton County’s 2020 results, motivated by unproven claims of fraud. Parent said the bill is pointless because ranked-choice voting is only allowed in Georgia today on overseas ballots.

Persons: —, Brad Raffensperger's, Bill, Raffensperger, ”, Charlene McGowan, Sen, Max Burns, Burns, Chris Carr, Fulton, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Lower, uncounted, Republican Sen, Randy Robertson, Cataula, Robertson, Elena Parent, Parent Organizations: ATLANTA, Republican, Senate, Sylvania Republican, Raffensperger, Board, Democratic, Republican Georgia, Atlanta Democrat, ” Locations: — Georgia's, Georgia, Atlanta, ” Florida, Idaho , Montana , South Dakota, Tennessee

☆ Nobel Peace Prize winner: The time has come to recognize gender apartheid as a crime against humanity
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Opinion Narges Mohammadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The time has come to declare gender apartheid a crime. That is why I have written a letter to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, urging him to declare gender apartheid a crime against humanity. Inhumane acts committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one gender group over another are termed gender apartheid. This is why it is imperative that gender apartheid is recognized as a crime against humanity. In recent months there has been positive momentum at the United Nations towards recognizing and codifying gender apartheid.

Persons: Read, António Guterres, —, Mahsa Amini, Amini, Iran —, Shirin Ebadi, Malala Yousafzai, Nadia Murad – Organizations: CNN, Getty, United Nations, Assembly, Apartheid, UN Women’s, UN Locations: Iranian, Iran, Tehran’s, Islamic Republic, Afghanistan, South Africa, States

The announcement shocked civil rights advocates, who countered that the state's system is already arduous and this latest requirement will only further worsen voter disenfranchisement throughout the state. However, in GOP-dominant Tennessee, Republican leaders have repeatedly shrugged off calls to reform the state's voting-rights restoration policy. Voting rights advocates have argued the legal interpretation was way off-base. The change, instituted by elections officials in July, has since halted almost all voting rights restorations: More than 60 people were denied and just one person approved. “It's un-American.”Democratic Rep. Joe Towns likened the state's policy to Jim Crow-era laws that were put in place with the intent of stopping Black people from participating in elections.

Persons: —, shouldn't, ”, William Lamberth, you’ve, it’s, We’ve, Cameron Sexton, Randy McNally, I’m, they’ve, ” McNally, “, Sen, Raumesh, wasn't, Mark Goins, ” Akbari, “ It's, Joe Towns, Jim Crow Organizations: Associated Press, GOP, Republican, Democratic, AP, “, Tennessee Constitution, Assembly, ” Democratic Locations: Tenn, Tennessee, Raumesh Akbari, Memphis

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