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☆ Gaza workers expelled from Israel accuse Israeli authorities of abuse, including beatings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | Nada Bashir | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

I know people whose rib cage was completely broken, some people died of torture,” he told CNN. An Israeli security official told CNN that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was aware of several incidents of “abuse” of Gazan workers by IDF soldiers. Several of the workers told CNN they were blindfolded and handcuffed for long periods of time. Palestinian workers deported by Israel make their return to the Gaza Strip in Rafah, Gaza, on November 3, 2023. They were then forced to walk for “about three hours” to cross into the enclave, several of them told CNN.

Persons: Muqbel Abdullah Al Radia, Abdullah Al Radia, Al Radia, Israel –, ”, Mahmoud Abu Darabeh, Beit Lahiya, Abu Darabeh, “, ” Abu Darabeh, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, –, ‘, Israel, Yoav Gallant, Mohammed Zaanoun, ‘ Dehumanization, ’ Amani Sarahneh, Sarahneh, Dror Sadot, Sadot, “ We’ve, Mohamed Atallah, they’d, ” Bilal Aysha Organizations: Gaza CNN, CNN, Hamas, Israel’s, Palestinian Prisoners Society, West Bank, Israel Defense Forces, Reuters CNN, IDF, Gaza, “, Getty, Al, B’Tselem, Israeli Information Center, Human Rights, Friday Locations: Jerusalem, Gaza, Israel, Beit Lahiya, Rahat, Israeli, Ofer, Ramallah, Salem, Jenin, Beit, Rafah, Al, Gaza City, Territories

The vast majority of fatalities – 73% – are women, children and the elderly, according to the health ministry. Women are in great pain, they sleep on the floors, without mattresses,” Bashir, the 32-year-old mother, told CNN. She told CNN she received confirmation the products reached the Rafah crossing, but does not know when the aid will enter Gaza. Palestinian mothers told CNN they cannot protect their kids from the terror of Israel's persistent bombardment. Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty ImagesSo many aspects of motherhood, once routine, are now a matter of life or death.

Persons: —, MedGlobal, OCHA, ” Musleh, “ I, can’t, “, Ahmed Al, Sadi, ”, Tanya Haj, Hassan, Médecins, jeopardizing, ” Haj, Hiba Tibi, Israel's, Said Khatib, Amal, Khan Younis, Bashir, Heather Barr, Barr, ” Bashir, CNN Amal, Nesma ElFar, MotherBeing, ‘, ’ ” Haj, Ahmad Hasaballah, Musleh, – Organizations: CNN, US, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Palestinian Medical Relief Society, Medical, CARE International, CARE ., CARE West Bank, UN, Getty, Haj, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Human Rights Watch Locations: Al, Gaza, Ramallah, Israel, Rafah, Egypt, AFP, Gaza City, Cairo, Khan, Palestine

☆ ‘The reaction is extreme’: Palestinians fear arrest if they voice sympathy for Gaza civilians
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | Zeena Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“I was not even considering for a moment that they would be coming for me,” she told CNN. “When arrests are done in this way… it’s unfathomable,” he told CNN. If you want to talk about the truth here, you’re not allowed,” Adli, another Palestinian resident of Jerusalem, told CNN. Fatina Abu Sneineh, Dua’s mother, told CNN she was terrified when her daughter was taken. CNN has asked the Israel Police for comment on the arrest of Ibrahim Abu Sneineh, but has received no reply.

Persons: Dua Abu Sneineh, – barged, “, ”, Abu Sneineh, Abu, ” Abu Sneineh, Abu Sneineh’s, Pavel Nemecek, Israel, ” Abeer Baker, Baker, ” Baker, Abu Amneh, Ali Jadallah, God ”, ” Abu Amneh, Jawad Boulos, Boulos, it’s, Yasser, you’re, ” Adli, Adli, CNN, Justice Yariv Levin, Moshe Arbel, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Fatina Abu Sneineh, Dua, hasn’t, Ibrahim, ” Fatina, Aboud, Ibrahim Abu Sneineh Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, CNN, Facebook, Hamas, Israel Police, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israel Defense Forces ’, Israel’s, Getty, Abu, Gaza, Israel, West Bank, Attorney’s, Ministry of Interior, Counter, Justice Locations: Jerusalem, East Jerusalem, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Ramallah, Anadolu, “, Tel Aviv, al, Aqsa

NEW DELHI, Nov 3 (Reuters) - India's capital New Delhi was wrapped in a thick layer of toxic haze on Friday and some schools were ordered closed as the air quality index (AQI) plummeted to the "severe" category. In India, the annual average concentration of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) in the air is the highest in northern regions. Officials said they saw no immediate improvement in the air quality. Delhi hosts a World Cup match on Monday between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Poor air quality also caused respiratory problems, irritation in the eyes and restlessness in pet animals.

Persons: Aheed Khan, Ashwani Kumar, Prabhat Gangwar, Tanvi Mehta, Rajesh, Blassy Boben, Manoj Kumar, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: joggers, Residents, Officials, Control Committee, Farmers, Health, Friendicoes, Thomson Locations: DELHI, New Delhi, Swiss, Pakistani, Lahore, Delhi, India, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka

☆ Afghans Return to Taliban Rule as Pakistan Moves to Expel 1.7 Million
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

Pakistan is home to over 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees, about 1.7 million of whom are undocumented, according to Islamabad. Cash-strapped Pakistan, navigating record inflation and a tough International Monetary Fund bailout program, also said undocumented migrants have drained its resources for decades. The information minister for Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan, told Reuters it is opening three more border crossings. Pakistani citizens who help undocumented migrants obtain false identities or employment will face legal action, Bugti warned. There are more than 2.2 million Afghan migrants in Pakistan with some form of documentation recognized by the government that conveys temporary residence rights.

Persons: Shahid, Muhammad Rahim, Abdul Mutaleb Haqqani, Azizullah, Sohrab Goth, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Cash, Samar Abbas, Sarfaraz Bugti, Bugti, Abbas, Uzair Ahmed, Majida, we've, Muhammad, Ariba Shahid, Charlotte, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Saleem Shahid, Katerina Ang Organizations: Reuters, Pakistani Interior Ministry, Foreign, Monetary Fund, Sindh Human Rights Defenders Network, Islamabad, Federal, UNHCR, International Organization for Migration, Karachi East Police, Afghan Ministry, Refugees, World Bank, U.N Locations: Shahid KARACHI, Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistani, Afghanistan, Islamabad, Sindh, Balochistan, AFGHANISTAN, Charlotte Greenfield, Kabul, Quetta

Persons: Akhtar Soomro, Muhammad Rahim, Abdul Mutaleb Haqqani, Azizullah, Sohrab Goth, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Cash, Samar Abbas, Sarfaraz Bugti, Bugti, Abbas, Uzair Ahmed, Majida, we've, Muhammad, Ariba Shahid, Charlotte, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Saleem Shahid, Katerina Ang Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Pakistani Interior Ministry, Foreign, Monetary Fund, Sindh Human Rights Defenders Network, Islamabad, Federal, UNHCR, International Organization for Migration, Karachi East Police, Afghan Ministry, Refugees, World Bank, U.N, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, Karachi, Rights KARACHI, Pakistani, Afghanistan, Islamabad, Sindh, Balochistan, AFGHANISTAN, Charlotte Greenfield, Kabul, Quetta

☆ Life in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia oblast, from an expert who just visited the front lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

Ukrainian soldiers, go away." And there were Ukrainian soldiers chit-chatting with the older ladies there buying food. I spoke with Ukrainian soldiers in Zaporizhzhia. The same set of Ukrainian soldiers that's been serving has been serving for more than 600 days. When you talk to actual Ukrainians, they're not getting caught up in, "Is it Crimea?

Persons: Melinda Haring, Haring, —, It's, There's, Mykola Vinnichenko, Andrey Liscovich, it's, They're flinty, haven't, that's, there's, they're, What's, would've, I'm, Nobody, we've, Putin, let's, He'll, he'll, — you've, you've, Ukraine —, We're, They're Organizations: Atlantic Council, Service, Eurasia Center, Ukraine doesn't, NATO, CNN Locations: Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Orikhiv, Kyiv, Orkihiv, Washington, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, There's, Crimea, Russia, Poland, Baltic, United States, NATO, Taiwan

☆ She fled the Israeli army as a young woman. Now in her 90s, she is running again
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Ashkelon, Israel CNN —Souad Al-Alem was one of the roughly 10,000 people forced to flee the Palestinian town of al-Majdal. It was 1948, she was a young woman and Israel’s troops were approaching the community during the Arab-Israeli war in what is now part of the Israeli city of Ashkelon. Now in her 90s and living in Gaza, Al-Alem has been forced to run again. All of its houses are long gone, replaced with modern Israeli buildings that are now part of Ashkelon. Of the six sites of former villages visited by CNN earlier this week, none had any information about Palestinian villages on display.

Persons: Israel CNN — Souad Al, Alem, “, it’s, ” Al, Majdal, Ivana Kottasova, they’d, Israel, Khan Younis, hasn’t, ”, Umar al, Zochrot, Ghubari, Gilad Erdan, Ebead, Taghrid Ebead, Hassan Eslayeh Organizations: Israel CNN, Hamas, Israel Defence Forces, Palestinian Ministry of Health, CNN, Al, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Zochrot, United Nations, Israel’s Locations: Ashkelon, Israel, al, Gaza, Al, Ramallah, Palestinian, East, Tel Aviv, United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, ”, Gaza City

☆ A Friendship Forged in Wartime Casts a Long Shadow
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Jennifer Egan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

ABSOLUTION, by Alice McDermottAlice McDermott is rightly celebrated for her granular, nuanced portraits of mid-20th-century life, with a particular focus on Irish Americans. Her fans may be startled, then, to find themselves plunged into 1963 Saigon at the start of her enveloping new novel, “Absolution,” whose lofty title belies its sensory, gritty humanity. McDermott’s contextual leap is not as great as it might seem. A bossy insider and mother of three, Charlene masterminds a “cabal” of charitable military-industrial wives bent on helping poor and ailing Vietnamese. Their work consists of channeling black-market profits into buying trinkets and candy to distribute to hospitalized children (some of whom may be recovering from war wounds) and their impoverished families.

Persons: Alice McDermott Alice McDermott, ” Patricia Kelly, Peter, Billy Lynch, “ Charming Billy ”, Marie, Peter Kelly’s, Kennedy, Ngo Dinh Diem, ” Graham Greene’s, McDermott, ”, Patricia, Charlene, Charlene masterminds Organizations: Americans, Catholic, Central Intelligence Agency, “ Catholic Intelligence Agency, WASP Locations: Saigon, American, McDermott’s, “, Vietnam, South Vietnam

☆ Hong Kong is paying new parents $2,500 for having a baby but that won’t even pay a month’s rent
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Hong Kong CNN —Hong Kong is to pay new parents more than $2,500 for having a baby in a bid to boost its flagging birth rate, but many residents in the notoriously expensive city say it’s barely enough to cover a month’s rent. In Japan (birth rate 1.3), parents get a monthly allowance of $107 dollars for each newborn until two years of age. For each child between three years old and senior high, parents get $66.7 per month. Hong Kong subsidizes education from kindergarten to senior high, but nursery, the year or two before kindergarten, is not usually covered. “The government should be thinking about how to convince [us] that Hong Kong is conducive to child-raising,” Lau said.

Persons: John Lee Ka, chiu, ” Lee, ”, Ken Lau, Kristy Chan, ” Lau, Kim Yeung, ” Yeung, Paul Yip Siu, Hong, ” Yip, Sze Lai, Sze, Lau, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, HK, CNN, Midland Realty, fai, University of Hong, Society for Community Organization Locations: Hong Kong, East Asia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, University of Hong Kong

☆ If You Can Take the Cable Car to the Colosseum, You’re in Vietnam
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Patrick Scott | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“When you see Westerners going sightseeing, they’re going to be in sports shoes and clothes,” she said. “But if you see Vietnamese, they are usually in a long dress and sandals or high heels. They want to be beautiful for the photo shoot.”For Frank Ngo, 41, a physical therapist from Anaheim, Calif., whose parents fled Vietnam in 1978 after the war, the cable car presented an unexpected perspective. They were out there for like five days in the open sea,” Mr. Ngo said, as we stepped into the Colosseum-esque station. “I was picturing me being them out there on the boat; I’m trying to wrap my head around that.”Patrick Scott writes frequently for Travel.

Persons: ”, Frank Ngo, Karen Do, marveled, Mr, Ngo, ” Patrick Scott Organizations: New York Times, Travel Dispatch Locations: Anaheim, Calif, Vietnam, Phu

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The watchdog for U.S. assistance to Afghanistan has warned that the Taliban are benefiting from international aid through the establishment of fraudulent nongovernmental organizations. The Taliban have exerted greater control over national and international NGOs since seizing power in August 2021. They have barred Afghan women from NGO work and sought to push out foreign organizations from the education sector. In May, a SIGAR report highlighted the Taliban’s interference with NGO work in Afghanistan. In another example, NGO officials told the watchdog that the Taliban coerce NGOs into hiring supporters or purchase goods from Taliban-owned companies.

Persons: weren't, SIGAR Organizations: U.S Locations: KABUL, Afghanistan, U.S, American

☆ Three Listed Chinese Firms Used Endangered Animal Parts as Ingredients Report
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

In a report published Monday, the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency urged global investors in the three firms - Beijing Tong Ren Tang group, Tianjin Pharmaceutical group and Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutical Group - to divest their stakes. The group said it focused on the pharmaceutical companies because they are publicly listed, and display products that include leopard or pangolin parts on their websites. Beijing Tong Ren Tang and Tianjin Pharmaceutical group did not respond to several emails and calls from Reuters asking for comment. Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutical Group could not be reached for comment. The environmental group said Deutsche Bank, HSBC Holdings, Citigroup and BlackRock did not respond to its queries.

Persons: Andrew Silver, Selena Li SHANGHAI, Beijing Tong Ren Tang, Avinash Basker, Wells, China's, Selena Li, Miyoung Kim, Miral Organizations: Reuters, UBS, HSBC, Environmental Investigation Agency, Tianjin Pharmaceutical, Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutical, TCM, Deutsche Bank, HSBC Holdings, Citigroup, Co, HSBC Global Asset Management Canada, Royal Bank of Canada, BlackRock, Citigroup ， Deutsche Bank, Medical Products Administration, Protection Locations: HONG KONG, London, Beijing, Tianjin, Jilin, BlackRock, Shanghai, Hong Kong

In a report published Monday, the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency urged global investors in the three firms - Beijing Tong Ren Tang group (600085.SS), Tianjin Pharmaceutical group (600329.SS) and Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutical Group (000623.SZ) - to divest their stakes. The group said it focused on the pharmaceutical companies because they are publicly listed, and display products that include leopard or pangolin parts on their websites. Beijing Tong Ren Tang and Tianjin Pharmaceutical group did not respond to several emails and calls from Reuters asking for comment. Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutical Group could not be reached for comment. The environmental group said Deutsche Bank, HSBC Holdings, Citigroup and BlackRock did not respond to its queries.

Persons: pangolin, Seun, Beijing Tong Ren Tang, Avinash Basker, Wells, China's, Andrew Silver, Selena Li, Miyoung Kim Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, UBS, HSBC, Environmental Investigation Agency, Tianjin Pharmaceutical, Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutical, TCM, Deutsche Bank, HSBC Holdings, Citigroup, BlackRock, & Co, HSBC Global Asset Management Canada, Royal Bank of Canada, Citigroup ， Deutsche Bank, Reuters, Medical Products Administration, Protection, Thomson Locations: Lagos, Nigeria, Rights SHANGHAI, HONG KONG, London, Beijing, Tianjin, Jilin, Shanghai, Hong Kong

☆ Jewish ADL confirms that the NYU student who ripped down Israeli hostage posters worked for the organization as a summer intern
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An NYU student filmed taking down posters of hostages was an intern for the Anti-Defamation League. AdvertisementAdvertisementAn NYU student who was caught on video tearing down posters of Israeli hostages previously interned with the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish NGO that combats antisemitism and extremism, the organization confirmed. The woman, a junior at NYU, took accountability for the incident but attributed her actions to "misplaced anger," The New York Post reported. The student took to her Instagram account to apologize, where she detailed the challenges she faced as a biracial woman and claimed that that contributed to her frustration and anger. A spokesperson for the law school told Insider: "The Law School cannot comment on a confidential personnel matter."

Persons: —, Beth J Organizations: NYU, Defamation League, Tisch Hall, Service, New York Post, NYU's Tisch Hall, ADL, Muslim Youth Leadership, for Youth, College Hall, University of Pennsylvania, AP, Carey Law School, University of California Locations: Israel, Gaza, University of California Santa Cruz

Arab citizens and permanent residents in Israel make up just over 20% of the country’s population. His ancestors were evacuated from Iqrit, a village north of Haifa, by Israeli forces during the 1948 war. Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some opposition leaders joined an emergency war cabinet to manage the war. “Some people call it Turkish coffee, some call it Jerusalem coffee or Palestinian coffee or Israeli coffee … when I am in the mood, I call it Palestinian coffee,” he said, watching a spoonful of sugar bubble up from the bottom of the pot. “When I am not in the mood, I call it Jerusalem coffee … to avoid the politics”

Persons: Aya Najame, Najame, “, ” Najame, it’s, ” Ashraf Ashkar, ” Ashkar, Ashkar, Benjamin Netanyahu, Itamar Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, B’Tselem, Smotrich, we’re, ”, Diane Buttu, ’ ”, Buttu, ” Naim Khoury, Ivana Kottasova, CNN Naim Khoury, ” Khoury, ’ Abu Nader, Nader, –, Abu Nader, ” Buttu, there’s Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, West Bank, CNN, “, Israel Defense Forces, Palestinian, Palestinian Authority, Israeli Information Center, Human Rights, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs Locations: Haifa, Jerusalem, Arab, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, “ Haifa, Nisnas, Iqrit, Territories, Palestinian, Jerusalem’s Old City, Old City, ”, cezve

☆ Wanted: Thousands of Ukrainian judges, in huge overhaul sought by EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Ukraine is desperately short of judges, and is kick-starting a long-delayed nationwide hiring spree to fill more than 2,000 vacancies and vet around as many sitting judges for potential malfeasance. Court cases have piled up across Ukraine as a result. The regional appeals court in northeastern Ukraine's Sumy has only four judges left out of a full staff of 35. Some 2,000 sitting judges also require integrity checks, part of the judicial house-cleaning launched, but never finished, after Maidan. Oleksandr Tupytskyi, now living in Vienna according to Ukrainian media reports, has denied wrongdoing and said the cases against him are political.

Persons: Lady Justice, Thomas Peter Acquire, Vira Levko, Levko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ruslan Sydorovych, it's, Sydorovych, Halyna Chyzhyk, shouldn't, Mykhailo Zhernakov, Oleksandr Tupytskyi, Zhernakov, I've, Dan Peleschuk, Anna Dabrowska, Mike Collett, White, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, European Union, European Commission, Kyiv, EU, DEJURE Foundation, Constitutional, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Thomson Locations: Pecherskyi, Kyiv City, Kyiv, Ukraine, KYIV, Ukrainian, Dniprovskyi, Russia, Ukraine's Sumy, Maidan, Halyna, Vienna

☆ Five Prisoners Released in Venezuela After Opposition Deal, US Demands
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

CARACAS (Reuters) - Five people jailed in Venezuela, including well-known opposition figures, have been released, the opposition said around midnight on Thursday following an electoral deal with the government of President Nicolas Maduro and Washington's demand certain prisoners be freed. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday eased Trump-era sanctions on the Venezuelan oil and gas industry, in response to an election deal reached between the Venezuelan government and the opposition. A senior State Department official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, has threatened to reverse sanctions relief measures unless Maduro lifts the bans and frees prisoners. A U.S. State Department official said on Wednesday he expects movement in the near term on releases of wrongfully detained Americans. There are believed to be more than half a dozen American prisoners, several belonging to that category.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Joe Biden's, Washington, Antony Blinken, Gerardo Blyde, Roland Carreno, Will, Juan Requesens, Blyde, Carreno, Maria Corina Machado, Requesens, Mayela Armas, Vivian Sequera, Matt Spetalnick, Natalia Siniawski, Julia Symmes Cobb, Inti Landauro, Deborah Kyvrikosaios, Barbara Lewis, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Trump, Venezuelan, U.S, U.S . State Department, First, State Department, Reuters, Popular, Maduro, Foro Penal, Organization of American Locations: CARACAS, Venezuela, Caracas, Maduro's, Foro, U.S

Since then, Omar Abou Nabout has sought accountability over his father’s killing while forging a new life in France. Legal cases have been filed against the Syrian regime before. The Syrian regime used them extensively, and indiscriminately, in densely populated areas at the height of the civil war, which was considered a form of prohibited indiscriminate attack under international humanitarian law. It may deny targeting civilians, but Abou Nabout says the new indictments are a victory for him and others fighting impunity. I was part of it … I watched people die including friends,” Abou Nabout said.

Persons: Paris CNN — Omar Abou Nabout, Bashar al, Assad, Salah Abou Nabout, Omar Abou Nabout, Abou Nabout’s, ”, Mohamad Abazeed, Abou Nabout, Salah, Muhammed Yusuf, ” Abou Nabout, “, Mazen Darwish, Mark Esplin, CNN Abou Nabout, Darwish, Anwar Raslan, –, SANA, Fahed, ” Darwish, there’s Ali Abdullah Ayoub –, Ahmad Balloul, Ali al, Safatli, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he’s, ” Assad, … Organizations: Paris CNN, CNN, Getty, Anadolu Agency, Syrian Network for Human, Sorbonne University, French Foreign Ministry, Syrian Center for Media, Syrian Defense, Syrian, Air Force, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Arab League Summit, Saudi Royal Court, Reuters, International Criminal Court, ICC, UN Security Council Locations: Paris, France, Daraa, Syrian, AFP, Syria, Russian, Tareek, France –, Europe, Germany, Fraij, Damascus, ”, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Bandar Algaloud, Netherlands, Russia

☆ Wanted: Thousands of Ukrainian Judges, in Huge Overhaul Sought by EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

By Dan PeleschukKYIV (Reuters) - Vira Levko, a judge in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, typically handles dozens of administrative cases and several criminal hearings every day. Ukraine is desperately short of judges, and is kick-starting a long-delayed nationwide hiring spree to fill more than 2,000 vacancies and vet around as many sitting judges for potential malfeasance. Court cases have piled up across Ukraine as a result. The regional appeals court in northeastern Ukraine's Sumy has only four judges left out of a full staff of 35. Some 2,000 sitting judges also require integrity checks, part of the judicial house-cleaning launched, but never finished, after Maidan.

Persons: Dan Peleschuk, Vira Levko, Levko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ruslan Sydorovych, it's, Sydorovych, Halyna Chyzhyk, shouldn't, Mykhailo Zhernakov, Oleksandr Tupytskyi, Zhernakov, I've, Anna Dabrowska, Mike Collett, White, Gareth Jones Organizations: Dan Peleschuk KYIV, Reuters, European Union, European Commission, Kyiv, EU, DEJURE Foundation, Constitutional, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology Locations: Ukrainian, Kyiv, Dniprovskyi, Ukraine, Russia, Ukraine's Sumy, Maidan, Halyna, Vienna

CNN —A Hamas spokesman is reportedly among more than 60 members of the militant organization that Israel arrested in overnight raids across the West Bank, the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory that is increasingly feeling the impact of the fighting in Gaza. Hassan Yousef, a leading Palestinian political figure who served as the official Hamas spokesperson in the West Bank, was arrested in his home, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, an NGO representing Palestinian detainees. “Occupation forces arrested Hamas leader Sheikh Hassan Yousef from his home in Beitunia, as part of a wide-scale arrest campaign in the occupation (sic) West Bank,” the Palestinian Prisoners Club statement reads. Three Palestinians were shot dead in clashes with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Health. Israel views the West Bank as “disputed territory,” and contends its settlement policy is legal.

Persons: CNN —, Israel, Hassan Yousef, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, Yousef, Hassan Yousef’s, ”, Mustafa Barghouti, ” Barghouti, “ They’re, they’re, They’re Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Palestinian Prisoners Club, Bank, Palestinian, Israel Defense Forces, Palestinian Prisoners, Palestinian National Initiative, Hamas, Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Health Locations: Gaza, Beitunia, Jerusalem, Globe, Judea, Samaria, Israel, Jordan

☆ Amazon River falls to lowest level in 121 years amid a severe drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

That is the lowest level since records began in 121 years ago in 1902, passing a previous all-time low set in 2010. After months without rain, rainforest villager Pedro Mendonca was relieved when a Brazilian NGO delivered supplies to his riverside community near Manaus late last week. “It is much hotter than past droughts.”Boats and houseboats stranded in a dry area of the Igarape do Taruma stream which flows into the Rio Negro river in Brazil's Amazon rainforest, Oct 16, 2023. The drought has threatened their access to food, drinking water and medicines, which are usually transported by river. A ruler that measures historical river water levels at the Rio Negro river in Manaus, Brazil, Oct 16, 2023.

Persons: Pedro Mendonca, ”, Mendonca, Santa Helena do, Bruno Kelly, Sustentável, Nelson Mendonca, Santa Helena do Ingles, Luciana Valentin Organizations: Reuters, Rio Negro, Brazil’s Science Ministry, Fundação Locations: Reuters — Rivers, Brazil, Manaus, Brazilian, Santa Helena, Santa Helena do Ingles, Amazonas, Rio Negro, El, parched

☆ The last time Hamas released a hostage, it took 5 years for him to be freed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Sonam Sheth | Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The IDF said Hamas is holding nearly 200 people hostage after carrying out a deadly terror attack. The last time Hamas freed a hostage was in 2011, when it released the IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. AdvertisementAdvertisementHamas is holding nearly 200 people hostage after it carried out a deadly terror attack in Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The last time Hamas released a hostage was in 2011, when it freed the IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Israel has relentlessly bombarded the Gaza Strip since Hamas' October 7 terror attacks.

Persons: Gilad Shalit, —, Shalit, Mitzpe Hila, Gershon Baskin, Israel, Baskin, Osama al, Mia Schem, Schem Organizations: Service, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, NPR, Israel, International Communities Organization, IDF, Nova Locations: Israel, Gaza, American

☆ A mediator who worked on a 2011 Israeli prisoner exchange says Hamas' hostage-taking is 'unprecedented': 'What do they even do with them now that they have them?'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gershon Baskin helped secure the release of an Israeli soldier from Hamas in 2011. He says Hamas' hostage-taking campaign is "unprecedented," per The Wall Street Journal. AdvertisementAdvertisementA mediator who helped negotiate the 2011 exchange of an Israeli soldier said Hamas' hostage-taking in its recent terror attacks was "unprecedented" due to the sheer number of people involved, according to The Wall Street Journal . "It's unprecedented, there's no doubt," Gershon Baskin, the Middle East director for International Communities Organization, a UK-based peace-building NGO, told the newspaper. Baskin, an American-Israeli peace activist, helped secure the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit from Hamas in 2011.

Persons: Gershon Baskin, —, Baskin, Gilad Shalit, He's, Abu Ubaida, Israel Organizations: Street, Service, Wall Street, International Communities Organization, Israel Defense Forces, Department, West Bank, Hamas Locations: Gaza, Israel, American

☆ Egyptian sources say ceasefire agreed to allow Rafah re-opening, Netanyahu denies
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"There is currently no truce and humanitarian aid in Gaza in exchange for getting foreigners out," a statement from his office said. Rafah, which is on the border between Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and Hamas-governed Gaza, is the only crossing into the territory not controlled by Israel. The Egyptian sources said the ceasefire would last for several hours but they were not clear on the exact duration. They also said the three countries had agreed that Rafah would be open until 1400 GMT on Monday as a one-day initial re-opening. A security source and NGO source in Al-Arish said that aid trucks were still waiting there after the re-opening at 0600 GMT.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Arish, Blinken, Salama Marouf, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Dan Williams, Yusri Mohamed, Aidan Lewis, Nadine Awadallah, Tala Ramadan, Nafisa, Jacqueline Wong, Toby Chopra Organizations: Hamas, U.S, Thomson Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Al, Arish, Sinai, Egypt, CAIRO, Hamas, al, Cairo, U.S, Jerusalem, Ismailia

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