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☆ Israeli finance minister to renew funds to Arab communities after backlash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a news conference after announcing that he will sign an order to seize Palestinian Authority funds and transfer them to the families of victims of Palestinian attacks, at Israel's Finance Ministry in Jerusalem, January 8, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday his ministry would unblock funds for Arab communities that he suspended saying the money was fuelling crime, triggering outrage from Arab mayors and some Arab and Jewish lawmakers. Arab councils held a strike last week in protest and community leaders demonstrated outside government offices. In a statement on Monday, Smotrich appeared to reverse course and said an oversight mechanism had been created to transfer funds to the Arab communities. "We are stopping the criminal organisations from taking over the budgets that go to the Arab authorities," Smotrich said.

Persons: Bezalel Smotrich, Ronen, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Smotrich, Emily Rose, Alison Williams Organizations: Palestinian, Israel's Finance Ministry, REUTERS, Rights, Israeli, National Committee of, Thomson Locations: Jerusalem, Israel

☆ Darfur: Hundreds of people fleeing El Geneina were killed in a day-long massacre, body collectors and survivors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi Allegra Goodwin Nima Elbagir Celine Alkhaldi | Tamara Qiblawi | Allegra Goodwin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

A picture taken on June 16, 2023, shows bodies strewn outdoors near houses in the West Darfur capital El Geneina. A video shared on Twitter on June 14, 2023, showing hundreds of refugees from El Geneina walking towards Chad. “The fighters had DShK’s (Soviet-era heavy machine guns) and other heavy weaponry,” said Khamiss, the lawyer from El Geneina. Zahra Adam, a women’s rights activist from El Geneina, told CNN she had saved two young boys from drowning. When asked whether the ICRC had alerted third parties to evidence of a mass atrocity in El Geneina, Synenko said they had not.

Persons: El Geneina, ”, “, Masalit, Jamal Khamiss, Khamiss, ” Jamal Khamiss Khamiss, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo —, Gen, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Hemedti, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Omar al, Bashir, Wagner, Zohra Bensemra, Dr, Papi Maloba, Maloba, Mohammad Ghannam, RSF, West, Khamis Abbakar, ” Khamiss, Zahra Adam, Adam, General Abdelrahman Juma —, General Abdelrahman Juma, YouTube Juma, Mujeeb Rahman Muhammad Rezk, Alyona Synenko, Synenko, Chad The, ” Zahwi Idriss, Zahwi Idriss Organizations: CNN, Rapid Support Forces, West Darfur, Getty, Sudanese, International Organization for Migration, Twitter, Hemedti, United Nations, Reuters, Sans, MSF, Chadian, El, Teaching, Crescent, YouTube, Support Forces, Sudanese Red Crescent Society, SRC, International Committee, ICRC, Darfur, UN, Geneina Teaching Locations: West Darfur, El, West, El Geneina, AFP, Chad, Sudan, “, Geneina, Darfur, Chadian, Shukri, Khartoum, Adre, Ardmata, Wadi Kaja, RSF, tarpaulins, Africa, ”

REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File PhotoSummary Funds were meant to narrow socio-economic gapsSmotrich says money would go to criminals, militantsLawmakers, colleges criticise decision as racistJERUSALEM, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has frozen funds for Arab towns and Palestinian education programmes in East Jerusalem, citing crime and safety fears and prompting accusations of racism. "Arab citizens are entitled to those funds, which were meant to close the gaps between Arab and Jewish communities," he told Reuters. 'HATRED AND RACISM'Smotrich said a separate 200 million shekels for encouraging academic studies among Palestinians from East Jerusalem would also be frozen until what he described as "extremist Islamic activity" on campus was eradicated. Smotrich said the new East Jerusalem plan would have a total increased budget but that although encouraging academic studies among the city's Palestinians was a worthy cause, this also had unwelcome consequences. Reporting by Henriette Chacar and Maayan Lubell; Editing by James Mackenzie and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Bezalel Smotrich, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Kan, Moshe Arbel, Mansour Abbas, Yair Lapid, Smotrich, Ameer Bisharat, Israel, Netanyahu, Henriette Chacar, James Mackenzie, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Israeli, Reuters, National Committee of, Facebook, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Thomson Locations: Rahat, Israel, JERUSALEM, East Jerusalem, Smotrich, Arab, Jerusalem, Gaza

Trucks carrying aid from the UN World Food Programme (WFP), following a deadly earthquake, are parked at Bab al-Hawa crossing, Syria, February 20, 2023. Syria's mission to the United Nations in New York confirmed the extension. Following the earthquake, the United States and the European Union issued sanctions waivers to pave the way for more aid into Syria. U.S. authorizations facilitating the work of aid groups and the United Nations remain in effect, the spokesperson said. 'READY TO RESUME OPERATIONS'The United Nations had also been using the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Turkey to deliver aid to millions in northwest Syria since 2014 with authorization from the U.N. Security Council.

Persons: Mahmoud Hassano, Salam, Eri Kaneko, Emma Forster, U.N, Farhan Haq, Cross, Suhair Zakkout, Bashar al, Assad, Michelle Nichols, Jonathan Oatis 私 Organizations: UN, Food Programme, REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Government, European Union, EU, U.S . Treasury, . Security, International Committee Locations: Bab, Syria, WASHINGTON, BEIRUT, U.S, Turkey, Damascus, Al Ra'ee, New York, United States, Norwegian, overcompliance, Moscow, Washington

[1/5] Majdi El-Tattar, a man with disability from Gaza trains children to swim as he became a high-in-demand swimming coach, in Gaza City August 5, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu MustafaGAZA, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Majdi El-Tattar was just nine years old when he lost his leg in an accident. Now he is an inspiration to aspiring swimmers in Gaza - as a qualified swimming coach who runs his own school. "I developed my skills and that enabled me to start a swimming school," Tattar told Reuters as a few dozen of his students trained in the water. Earlier this month, the U.S.-based Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) brought together 120 Gaza children who have upper and lower limb amputations, into a summer camp.

Persons: Abu, Tattar, Gazans, Saed, Nidal Almughrabi, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Palestinian Swimming Academy, International Committee, Assalama Charitable Society, Palestine Children's Relief, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Gaza City, Abu Mustafa GAZA, Israel, U.S

☆ A US soldier may have falsely reported a US raid in Afghanistan while attempting to secure the adoption of a baby he found in the rubble
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Associated Press | Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

Maj. Joshua Mast, after a raid on an Afghan village, tried for years to adopt a baby he found in the rubble. The high-profile legal battle pits an Afghan family against an American one, and has drawn responses from the White House and the Taliban. The AP has located no records of the birth of the farmer's baby or photographs of her with the family before the raid. Four of the farmer's children had survived, so covered with dust and dirt they were almost unrecognizable, said neighbor Rahim. Less than two years after the raid, Mast helped the Afghan couple and the toddler flee as the country collapsed and the Taliban took over.

Persons: Joshua Mast, Mast, Major Mast, Patricia Gossman, Gossman, we'd, Neighbor Abdul Khaliq, Khaliq, they'd, aren't, Doe, Abdul Rahim, Rahim, Mohammad Zaman, Zaman, Neighbors, —, Erica Gaston, unquote, Gaston, Joshua Mast's, Richard Mast, Richard Mast's, David Yerushalmi, fidgets Organizations: Service, White, Taliban, Afghan, International Committee, Marine, Associated Press, Department of Defense, United, of Defense, Defense Department, AP, The Defense Department, Human Rights Watch, U.S, American, U.S . State Department, State Department Locations: Wall, Silicon, American, Al Qaeda, Virginia, Afghanistan, United States, Asia, Afghan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, U.S

It left us with nothing," Zuhaira told Reuters. The speed of the wind was a factor in the excessive spread of the fires," Qatna told Reuters during a tour of the area. [1/5]A firefighter attempts to extinguish a wildfire, in the northern countryside of Latakia, Syria July 29, 2023. Syria has been severely impacted climate change in recent years, including rising temperatures and erratic rainfall which have led to forest fires and poor harvests. "Syrians were already especially vulnerable because of the impacts of more than 12 years of conflict, which makes it even harder for them to deal with the impacts of climate change," Zakkout told Reuters.

Persons: Izzadin Zuhaira, I've, Zuhaira, Mohammad Hassaan Qatna, Qatna, Suhair Zakkout, Zakkout, Firas Makdesi, Maya Gebeily, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Reuters, Firefighters, REUTERS, International Committee, Thomson Locations: Syria, Latakia, Homs, Hama, Damascus, Beirut

☆ UN raises concerns over Syria aid route from Turkey, cites 'unacceptable issues'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The United Nations has not used the Bab al-Hawa crossing since the Security Council authorization expired on Monday. "The United Nations and its implementing partners must continue to engage with relevant state and non-state parties as operationally necessary." "The United Nations will need to engage to clarify any additional modalities for the delivery of humanitarian aid in north-west Syria," OCHA wrote. "Any such modalities must not infringe on the impartiality (based on needs alone), neutrality, and independence of the United Nations' humanitarian operations," it said. "We had pre-positioned a lot of material in the area (northwest Syria) before the deadline.

Persons: Bab, OCHA, Cross, Bashar al, U.N, Stephane Dujarric, Assad, Michelle Nichols, Josie Kao, Diane Craft Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United, Security, Security Council, Reuters, Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations, Syria Government, International Committee, ICRC, Syrian Government, Thomson Locations: United Nations, Syria, Turkey, United, Syrian, Damascus, Russia, Moscow, Washington

☆ What are the cluster munitions the US is expected to supply Ukraine?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The United States is expected to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine on Friday that will include cluster munitions for the first time, defense officials have told CNN. Cluster munitions, also called cluster bombs, are canisters that carry tens to hundreds of smaller bomblets, also known as submunitions. The US has a stockpile of cluster munitions known as DPICMs, or dual-purpose improved conventional munitions, that it no longer uses after phasing them out in 2016. Yes, both the Ukrainians and the Russians have used cluster bombs since Moscow’s forces invaded in February 2022. “Any use of cluster munitions, anywhere, by anyone, must be condemned,” Carbonnier said.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Andre Luis Alves, maim, ” Gilles Carbonnier, ” Carbonnier Organizations: CNN, Anadolu Agency, International Committee, Coalition, Rights Watch, Cluster Munitions, Human Rights Watch, US Central Command Locations: United States, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Washington, Kyiv, Laos, Vietnam, Russia, Switzerland, Iraq

☆ Live updates: Russia's war in Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

For three days, shells and mortars were “flying and whistling overhead, exploding around us,” Anton, a Russian soldier positioned south of Bakhmut, tells CNN. “We were jumping like rabbits under mortar rounds and bombs.”When it got quieter, he and fellow soldier Slava fell asleep. They could hear a vehicle and the voice of Ukrainian soldiers moving above them, he says. He sobs silently and lights up a cigarette offered by a Ukrainian soldier. He is one of eight Russian soldiers held by the Ukrainian Third Assault Brigade at a makeshift jail in eastern Ukraine.

Persons: ” Anton, “, Slava, let’s, ”, Anton, sobs Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian Third Assault Brigade, International Committee Locations: Russian, Bakhmut, “, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia

“We were jumping like rabbits under mortar rounds and bombs.”When it got quieter, he and fellow soldier Slava fell asleep. In the presence of two Ukrainian soldiers, the three men described low morale in their trenches, disarray and the apparent expendability of some Russian forces. Mark Phillips/CNNHopes of exchangeThe men’s captors want them exchanged for Ukrainian soldiers held by the Russians, but they don’t have high hopes. When he saw the Ukrainian soldiers, he crawled away in fear and huddled with two soldiers. A Ukrainian soldier later explains that it’s difficult to hear what the Russian soldiers are saying during the gunfights.

Persons: ” Anton, “, Slava, let’s, ”, Anton, sobs, Mark Phillips, Storm Z, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, maiming, Volodymyr Zelensky, Sergei, ‘, ’, CNN “, ” Sergei, ” Slava Organizations: Eastern, Eastern Ukraine CNN, CNN, Ukrainian Third Assault Brigade, International Committee, Russian Ministry of Defense, “, Third Assault Brigade, Wagner PMC, Storm Z, Brigade, Ukrainian Armed Forces Locations: Eastern Ukraine, Russian, Bakhmut, “, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia, ”, Mariupol, Moscow, Kherson

☆ ‘Dig, Dig, Dig’: A Russian Soldier’s Story
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Thomas Gibbons-Neff | Natalia Yermak | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

The Russian soldier was captured only days after arriving on the front line in eastern Ukraine. It takes into account the International Committee of the Red Cross’s guidance regarding publishing information about prisoners of war. After two months in prison, a man in a “green suit” from the Russian Ministry of Defense arrived, looking for recruits. They were just forced to dig, dig, dig, dig, and that was it. We were looking for a place to dig somewhere.”Merk said that when the Ukrainian attack began, there were nine soldiers digging alongside him.

Persons: Merk, “, Wagner, ’, ” Merk, ‘, ‘ You’re, Oleg Matsnev, Riley Mellen, Dmitriy Khavin, Anatoly Kurmanaev Organizations: New York Times, Kremlin, Times, United Nations, Storm, Committee, Russian Ministry of Defense, Defense Service Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Ukrainian, Kramatorsk, ’

☆ GOP lawmakers urge DOJ to probe Chinese IP theft from U.S. small businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Two top Republican congressmen on Thursday urged the Justice Department to investigate intellectual property theft from American small businesses by Chinese actors. "Ensuring the safety of American small businesses from IP-related crimes is crucial, and we urge the U.S. Department of Justice to utilize all tools and capabilities at its disposal," the lawmakers wrote. Gallagher is chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, while Williams chairs the House Committee on Small Business. Evidence of Chinese IP theft from U.S. businesses dates back several years. In 2019, 1 in 5 North American companies on the CNBC Global CFO Council reported IP theft from Chinese companies within the last year.

Persons: Mike Gallagher, Elise Stefanik, Steve Scalise, Wisconsin, Roger Williams of, General Merrick Garland, Gallagher, Williams, China — Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, Republican National Committee, Washington , D.C, WASHINGTON —, Justice Department, U.S . Department of Justice, Small, National Bureau, Asian, Commission, American Intellectual, U.S . Trade Representative, U.S, CNBC Global, CCP, DOJ's, Force, Intellectual, Fox Business, China, GOP Locations: Washington ,, WASHINGTON, Roger Williams of Texas

☆ Syrians need 'way more' than pledged relief funds, ICRC says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A total of $5 billion was pledged in grants for 2023 and another $1 billion for 2024 and beyond. More than 6 million Syrians are displaced in their own country and 5.5 million Syrian refugees live in neighbouring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq as well as Egypt. Donors scraped together an additional $1 billion in emergency relief funds following the devastating February earthquake that killed thousands in Syria. But trying to provide humanitarian help in Syria was "frustrating" without a political solution to resolve the protracted crisis. It's only politics, who can do that," Carboni said, adding: "we know that the solution is a political solution and that it's desperately needed."

Persons: Fabrizio Carboni, Carboni, Bashar al Assad's, it's, Maya Gebeily, Grant McCool Organizations: International Committee, Red, ICRC, Syrians, European Union, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Brussels, U.N, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, United States, Russia, Iran

☆ Sudan: 280 children evacuated from Khartoum orphanage amid intense fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Two hundred and eighty children between the ages of one month and 15 years were evacuated from a Khartoum orphanage that was affected by the heavy combat in Sudan’s capital, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said. The children from the Mygoma Orphanage in Khartoum have had no access to proper healthcare since fighting broke out on April 15 in Sudan. They were evacuated to the south of Khartoum in an operation facilitated by the ICRC on Wednesday. The ICRC said it obtained security guarantees from warring parties to ensure the safe passage for the children and the orphanage staff. Almost 14 million children are in urgent need of lifesaving humanitarian support in Sudan, the highest number ever recorded in the country, UNICEF said.

Persons: Cross, “, Christophe Sandoz Organizations: CNN, International Committee, ICRC, Reuters, Sudanese, UNICEF, International Organization for Migration, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs Locations: Khartoum, Sudan, Sudan Jean

☆ Ukraine warns of floating mines and disease after Kakhovka dam collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Local residents stand in water on a flooded street, after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kherson, Ukraine June 6, 2023. REUTERS/Alina SmutkoSummary Kakhovka dam on Dnipro river was destroyed on TuesdayUkrainian deputy prime minister visits flooded KhersonHe warns of floating mines, disease and chemicalsKHERSON, Ukraine, June 7 (Reuters) - A senior Ukrainian official warned of the danger posed by floating mines unearthed by flooding and the spread of disease and hazardous chemicals on Wednesday as he inspected damage caused by the collapse of the Kakhovka dam. Russia said Ukraine sabotaged the dam to distract attention from a new counteroffensive it said was "faltering". "Water is disturbing mines that were laid earlier, causing them to explode," Kubrakov, dressed casually in a grey t-shirt, told reporters. EVACUATIONUkrainian authorities have evacuated people from 24 flooded settlements and at least 20 settlements are flooded on territory occupied by Russian forces, he said.

Persons: Alina Smutko, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Kubrakov, Oleksandr Prokudin, Max Hunder, Timothy Organizations: REUTERS, Ukrainian, Regional, United Nations, International Committee, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kherson, Dnipro, KHERSON, Russia, Moscow, Kyiv, Russian, Mykolaiv

☆ U.N. Body Condemns Torture of Guantánamo Prisoner Awaiting Capital Trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Carol Rosenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Why It Matters: Criticism of Guantánamo Bay is mounting, again. The report could be presented to a sentencing jury of U.S. military officers in Mr. Nashiri’s case. In October 2021, a military jury in the case of another Guantánamo prisoner who was tortured by the C.I.A. Mr. Nashiri’s lawyers describe him as a torture survivor who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other conditions attributed to untreated physical, psychological and sexual abuse. Mr. Nashiri has more hearings this month focused on what evidence can be used at his eventual capital trial.

Persons: Biden, Cole, Abd al Rahim, Janet Hamlin, Nashiri, Katie Carmon Organizations: International Committee, Pentagon, Associated Press Locations: Guantánamo, America, U.S, Aden Harbor, United States

☆ From Ukraine to Sudan Aid Workers Don’t Pick Sides - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Mirjana Spoljaric | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With great-power tensions rising and wars raging, the idea of neutrality these days may seem to many people anachronistic at best and amoral at worst. Today, there are a great many places where neutral humanitarian action is under grave threat. If we did, it wouldn’t be possible to provide humanitarian assistance to people across the world’s most contentious theaters of armed conflict. Here’s the problem: Civilians affected by armed conflict — whether in Ukraine, Sudan or Syria — are not always receiving the assistance they deserve. Worse, they’re being injured and killed in the crossfire or when combatants violate the laws of war.

☆ Explainer: How important is Wagner's claimed capture of Bakhmut?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/4] A general view shows a building damaged by a Russian military strike, amid their attack on Ukraine, in the front line city of Bakhmut, in Donetsk region, Ukraine February 27, 2023. REUTERS/Alex... Read moreLONDON, May 20 (Reuters) - Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday that his Wagner fighters had completed the capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after months of intense fighting, a claim denied by Ukraine. Zelenskiy portrayed "Fortress Bakhmut" as a symbol of defiance which he said was bleeding the Russian military dry. If confirmed, Bakhmut would be Russia's first major capture since July last year and a morale-boosting battlefield win after a string of defeats. The city's capture would be a boost for Russia's most high-profile mercenaries - Wagner - and their publicity-hungry founder Prigozhin.

☆ Factbox: Who are the three Russian scientists accused of state treason?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Lucy Papachristou | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

May 18 (Reuters) - Three Russian scientists who have worked on hypersonic missile technology face "very serious accusations" of state treason, the Kremlin says. Maslov was detained early in the morning of June 28 last year in Novosibirsk, according to an interview that his sons Nikolai and Alexei gave to local media. He declined to tell them anything about the possible reasons for his arrest, and they learned from his lawyer that he was being charged with state treason. Kommersant newspaper reported that Maslov was accused of divulging state secrets related to hypersonics, but provided no further details. Born in Siberia, he studied in the aircraft engineering department at Novosibirsk State Technical University.

☆ UN says aid trucks looted in 'volatile' Sudan, urges safe passage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Mohamed Nureldin Nafisa Eltahir | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Summary Aid trucks looted, says United Nations aid chiefViolence undermining chance of lasting truceGuterres says situation 'unacceptable'UN aid chief Griffiths arrives in Port SudanImproving humanitarian access is a priority -UNKHARTOUM, May 3 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Wednesday it was seeking assurances from Sudan's warring factions on the safe delivery of aid after six trucks of humanitarian supplies were looted and air strikes in Khartoum undermined a new ceasefire. The conflict has created a humanitarian crisis, with about 100,000 people forced to flee with little food or water to neighbouring countries, the United Nations said. Aid deliveries have been held up in a nation of 46 million people where about one-third had already relied on humanitarian assistance. A broader disaster could be in the making as Sudan's impoverished neighbours grapple with the influx of refugees. Caught between army air strikes overhead and RSF soldiers on the ground, many citizens feel forced to take sides.

☆ U.N. Body Demands Release of Guantánamo Prisoner Who Was Tortured by the C.I.A.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Carol Rosenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The body, which has no enforcement mechanism, also found that Abu Zubaydah had been denied a meaningful review of his detention and so was being unlawfully held. “The appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Zubaydah immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law,” the group said in an opinion. In 2019, Abu Zubaydah drew sketches of how he was tortured. Image Abu Zubaydah. The report criticized six other nations where the United States held Abu Zubaydah — Pakistan, Afghanistan, Thailand, Poland, Morocco and Lithuania.

☆ Thousands are trying to escape from Port Sudan. Only a few can make it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Larry Madowo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Port Sudan, Sudan CNN —In the dark of night, the nightmare is nearly over for the lucky few gathered on the quayside in Port Sudan. Sudanese-American businessman Adil Bashir was one of just 52 evacuees who boarded the Royal Saudi Navy ship HMS Al-Diriyah on Sunday. And as fighting has driven more people out of Khartoum, Port Sudan has become a key evacuation hub. The journey from Port Sudan to Jeddah can take up to 12 hours depending on sea conditions. Saudi Royal Navy officials carry a disabled civilian to a Saudi Navy Ship, during his evacuation from Sudan to escape the conflict, Port Sudan, Sudan, April 30, 2023.

☆ Opinion | Biden Can Close the Legal Black Hole at Guantánamo
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Last week, Said bin Brahim bin Umran Bakush was released from detention at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and returned to Algeria, his home country. Mr. Biden wisely avoided the kind of highly public pledges to close down the prison that President Barack Obama made and could not keep. Clearing out the remaining prisoners requires cutting through a tangle of laws, policies, procedures and bureaucratic secrecy. Mr. Biden can use his authority to order the Departments of Defense, Justice and State, the intelligence agencies and other agencies involved to coordinate their efforts and direct their resources to make it happen, as quickly as possible. As long as there are people held in detention at Guantánamo, America’s condemnations of brutal detention centers in China and Syria will ring hollow.

Most Western embassies in Sudan were evacuated a week into the fighting, leaving many Sudanese visa applicants without their travel documents and in legal limbo. Several Sudanese citizens told CNN they cannot flee the conflict-ridden country because their passports are held at evacuated Western embassies. These are passports of Sudanese passport holders who have applied for a short-stay Schengen visa or an MVV (provisional residence permit). But unfortunately the ICRC cannot issue emergency travel documents for people to leave their own country,” they told CNN in a statement. Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters“I am now an obstacle for my family since they cannot travel and leave me,” she told CNN.

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