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Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s war cabinet, presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an ultimatum on Saturday, saying he would leave the government if it did not soon develop a plan for the future of the war in Gaza. While Mr. Gantz’s departure would not topple the country’s emergency wartime government, the move would further strain a fragile coalition that has provided Mr. Netanyahu’s far-right government with a boost of international legitimacy, and it would make the prime minister even more reliant on his hard-line partners. “If you choose the path of zealots, dragging the country into the abyss, we will be forced to leave the government,” Mr. Gantz said in a televised news conference. “We will turn to the people and build a government that will earn the people’s trust.”Mr. Gantz, who leads the National Unity party, said he would give Mr. Netanyahu until June 8 — three weeks’ time — to develop a plan that would aim to secure the release of hostages taken to Gaza by Hamas-led militants on Oct. 7, address the future governance of the territory, return displaced Israelis to their homes and advance normalization with Saudi Arabia, among other issues.

Persons: Benny Gantz, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gantz’s, Netanyahu’s, ” Mr, Gantz, “, Netanyahu Organizations: National Unity Locations: Gaza, Hamas, Saudi Arabia

☆ Student unrest ratchets up an already tense election year
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Dramatic campus protests are injecting an inflammatory new element into an election year that is already threatening to stretch national unity to a breaking point. Republicans smell an openingGOP Rep. Elise Stefanik is a driver of the deepening political backlash against campus protests. Republicans are also using the drama of student protests as a shield and to downplay their presumptive nominee’s own extremism. The unrest is so far not comparable since there’s no student mob trying to destroy American democracy. And they are not yet in the same league as the civil rights and Vietnam War protests in the 1960s and 1970s.

Persons: they’ve, Joe Biden, Biden, Israel –, Donald Trump, Trump, “, ”, Fox, “ Biden, appeasing, who’ve, Will, Elise Stefanik, Stefanik, Mike Johnson’s, skewer Biden, ” Stefanik, Johnson, aren’t, ” Johnson, Ronald Reagan, Berkeley ”, Richard Nixon, antisemites, Trump’s, ” Trump, George Floyd, David Farber, Paula Newton, John Kennedy, Barack Obama Organizations: CNN, New York Police Department, Columbia University, –, University of California, UCLA, Brown University, Israel, The New York Republican, Harvard, Ivy League, Columbia, National Guard, GOP, Republicans, California, Berkeley, Democratic Party, crackdowns, Capitol, University of Kansas, CNN International, Harvard University Locations: Gaza, America, Texas, Columbia’s, Palestine, Los Angeles, Israel, Rafah, United States, Vietnam, Charlottesville , Virginia

☆ Hamas officials say group willing to disarm if Palestinian state is established
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Abbas Allawati | Abbas Al Lawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The Palestinian militant group has long called for the Jewish state to be destroyed. Basem Naim, an Istanbul-based member of Hamas’ political bureau, told CNN on Thursday that the group would agree to disarm if an independent Palestinian state was established. Hamas has traditionally rejected a two-state solution that would see a Palestinian state established alongside Israel and has instead advocated the creation of a Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine that today encompasses Israel, the occupied West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem and Gaza. Barghouti said Hamas indicated as far back as 2007, when it led a Palestinian national unity government, that it is willing to accept a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders. Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at a news conference in the Qatari capital Doha that Hamas is willing to function solely as a political party once a Palestinian state is created, citing meetings between the group and Turkish officials.

Persons: Basem Naim, Al Qassam, ”, Mustafa Barghouti, Efraim Inbar, Israel ”, Israel “, Netanyahu, Khalil al, Hayya, ” Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Hayyah, Barghouti, Naim, Hakan Fidan, “ Organizations: CNN, Palestinian, Hamas, Israel, West Bank, Palestinian National Initiative, Jerusalem Institute for Strategy, Security, Associated Press, AP, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, Oslo Accords, Turkish, Qatari Locations: Israel, Gaza, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Palestinian, Palestine, East Jerusalem, United States, Israeli, Oslo, Doha, Turkish

☆ What’s Happening In Myanmar’s Civil War?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Hannah Beech | Weiyi Cai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +16 min

RUSSIA CHINA INDIA Pacific Ocean MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIA RUSSIA CHINA INDIA Pacific Ocean MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIAWhat’s Happening In Myanmar’s Civil War? Parliamentary rule 1962 Military coup 1988 Nearly five decades of military rule Widespread pro-democracy protests followed by bloody military crackdown. National civil unrest 2021 Military coup ended power sharing with civilian government. Parliamentary rule Nearly five decades of military rule National civil unrest British colonial rule 1948 1988 1990 2007 2011 2021 1962 2015 Widespread pro-democracy protests followed by bloody military crackdown. National civil unrest 2021 Military coup ended power sharing with civilian government.

Persons: Adam Ferguson, Min Aung, Daw Aung, Suu Kyi, Aung, —, Tom Andrews, Chin, Rakhine Karen Mon Bamar, Kayan, Karen, Ms, hideouts Organizations: MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean, Insurgent, Council, Myanmar, 8th Battalion, Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, The New York Times, Senior, National Unity Government, People’s Defense Forces, Rebels, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, Myanmar Peace Monitor, United Nations, General Administration Department, Union of, United, National Liberation Army Locations: RUSSIA CHINA, MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIA RUSSIA CHINA, MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian, MYANMAR INDONESIA Indian Ocean AUSTRALIA, INDIA CHINA BANGLADESH Mandalay MYANMAR LAOS Naypyidaw Bay, Bengal Yangon THAILAND, INDIA CHINA Mandalay MYANMAR, Yangon THAILAND Bay, Bengal, Myanmar, Ukraine, Gaza, India, China, Karenni State, country’s, Suu, Myanmar’s, British, Sagaing Region, MYANMAR, Naypyidaw, Burma, United States, Rakhine, Thailand, Union, Union of Burma, Afghanistan

☆ Tycoon’s death penalty in $12.5 billion fraud case highlights Vietnam’s corruption crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The scale of the fraud was said to be equivalent to roughly 3% of Vietnam’s economy. Though widely considered ceremonial, the presidency is one of the top three positions in Vietnam’s political hierarchy after the CPV’s Secretary General, currently Nguyen Phu Trong. In fact, the International Monetary Fund expects Vietnam’s economy to grow by 5.8% this year, compared to 4.6% for China. Their fate remains unclear, given the highly secretive nature of Vietnam’s political system. But Vietnamese political experts said a permanent appointment would not end the instability.

Persons: Truong My Lan, Van Thinh, siphoned, “, Eric Chu, Vietnam’s, Vo Van, Trong, Thuong, Vo Van Thuong, Richard A, Brooks, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Pham Binh, Le Hong Hiep, Yusof, ” Hiep, ”, Thu, General Trong, Xi Jinping, ” Zachary Abuza, Salt Bae, Lam, ” Abuza, Nguyen Phu Trong, Evelyn Hockstein, Abuza, Bui Thanh Soh, ” Soh, Vo, Xuan, Thuong’s, Le Hong Organizations: CNN, Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, Stock Commercial Bank, Reuters, SCB, Express, Communist Party, Institute, Crisis Group, National War College, Vietnamese Communist Party, Public Security, Vietnam, International Monetary Fund, Companies, Apple, Intel, Vietnam's Communist Party General, Yusof, Brookings Institution, “, Crisis Locations: Vietnam, Saigon, People’s, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Duc, Singapore, Asia, China, Washington, “, London, Turkish, Hanoi, Bangkok

Most Jewish men are required to serve nearly three years in the military, followed by years of reserve duty. Netanyahu asked the court Thursday for a 30-day extension to find a compromise. Israel’s Channel 12 reported Friday that the state provides only 7.5% of all funding for the institutions. “Without the Torah, we have no right to exist," said Yitzchak Goldknopf, leader of the ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism. But the powerful bloc of ultra-Orthodox parties — longtime partners of Netanyahu — want draft exemptions to continue.

Persons: —, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, David Ben Gurion, Anshel Pfeffer, Israel's, “, ”, Aryeh Deri, Haredim, Yitzchak Goldknopf, NETANYAHU, Benny Gantz, Netanyahu — Organizations: JERUSALEM, Jewish, Haaretz, Shas, Cabinet Locations: Gaza, Israel, Jewish

☆ Israeli Supreme Court orders government to stop funding religious schools that defy enlistment
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Mick Krever | Lauren Izso | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Israeli Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the government to stop funding religious schools whose students defy the country’s mandatory military service, posing one of the most serious threats to date for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition. Netanyahu relies on two Ultra-Orthodox parties – Shas and United Torah Judaism – to maintain a governing coalition. But the exemption has never been enshrined in a law that the Supreme Court views as equitable, and for years has been carried out by patch-work government mandates. After decades of rulings on the subject, the Supreme Court told the government that it was illegal for the government to both fund yeshivas and exempt their students from conscription. In a ruling late Thursday, the Supreme Court said that starting on April 1, the government could no longer transfer funds to yeshivas whose students did not receive legitimate deferments.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Benny Gantz, “, Ariyeh Deri, ” Young, Yitzhak Goldknopf, ”, Gantz Organizations: CNN, Shas, United, –, National Unity Party, Justice, Court Locations: Israel, The State

☆ Sexual violence ‘largely unpunished’ in Haiti, UN says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Mitchell Mccluskey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The UN human rights office described sexual violence in Haiti as “severely underreported and largely unpunished” in a harrowing report released Thursday that documented cases of rape and forced sexual relations with gang members, as well surging levels of gang violence in the country. The violence has caused the internal displacement of approximately 313,900 people as of December 2023, according to the OHCHR. “All these practices are outrageous and must stop at once,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. “Widespread corruption and dysfunction of the justice system greatly contribute to the pervasive impunity for grave human rights violations, and they need to be addressed urgently,” said Türk. Police patrol a street after authorities extended the state of emergency amid gang violence that has forced thousands to flee their homes in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 8, 2024.

Persons: ”, Volker Türk, Ariel Henry, Henry’s, ” Türk, Ralph Tedy Ero Organizations: CNN, UN, United Nations, Human Rights, “, Human, Haitian National Police, Police Locations: Haiti, –, Port, “, Prince

☆ Israeli cabinet members say they oppose Ultra-Orthodox conscription plan in threat to coalition government
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Mick Krever | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Tel Aviv CNN —Two of the three members of Israel’s war cabinet signalled their opposition to government proposals on the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox men into the military, setting up a potential collapse of the government coalition. An outline of the Israeli government’s plans for reforming the exemption emerged over the weekend, but it appears as though the government will once again attempt to delay that legislation. “I will not be a party to any proposal that is not agreed upon by all parts of the coalition. Malach said that “there is a high chance that the Supreme Court will say that it’s not acceptable.”A longstanding debateIsrael has, since its founding, exempted Haredim from mandatory military service. In 1998, the Supreme Court ripped up the longstanding exemption, telling the government that allowing Haredim to get out of conscription violated equal protection principles.

Persons: “, Yoav Gallant, ” Gallant, Benny Gantz, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Gantz, –, Netanyahu –, ”, ” Gilad Malach, Malach, Haredim, Knessets, Netanyahu, Gallant, ” “ Organizations: Tel, Tel Aviv CNN, Israeli, ”, CNN, Channel, Kan, “, National Unity, Israel Democracy Institute Locations: Tel Aviv, Washington, Israel

☆ Putin scores a resounding win, but what’s next for Russia?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Putin poses for a picture with his wife, Lyudmila, and daughters, Yekaterina and Maria. Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images Putin rides a horse during a vacation in Southern Siberia in August 2009. Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/AFP via Getty Images Putin plays with his dogs Yume, left, and Buffy at his home in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia, in March 2013. Chris McGrath/Getty Images Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018. Getty Images Putin speaks with American right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson during an interview in February 2024.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Dmitry Kiselyov, Mikhail Mishustin, Ukraine –, Kiselyov, “, Maria Putina, Archivio GBB, ZUMA Press Wire Putin, Laski, Maria, Vladimir, Anatoly Sobchak, Lyudmila, Yekaterina, Boris Yeltsin, Yeltsin, Fidel Castro, Reuters Putin, George W, Bush, Stephen Jaffe, Camp David, Brooks Kraft, Alexey Druzhinin, Alexey Nikolsky, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Sekretarev, AP Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Dmitry Astakhov, Buffy, Angela Merkel, Jochen Lübke, Thomas Bach, Medvedev, Vladimir Konstantinov, Alexei Chalyi, Sergei Aksyonov, Sergei Ilnitsky, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Alexander Lukashenko, Merkel, Francois Hollande, Petro Poroshenko, Mykola Lazarenko, Barack Obama, Ban, Chip Somodevilla, Turkey Andrei Karlov, Karlov, Donald Trump, Chris McGrath, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, LUDOVIC MARIN, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Eliot Blondet, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Sergey Lavrov, Denis Balibouse, Macron, Sergey Ponomarev, Mikhail Gorbachev, —, Alexander Nemenov, Alexey Danichev, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Pavel Bednyakov, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Tucker Carlson, Zuma Press Putin, Maxim Shemetov, – what’s, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, coy, Kremlin, Getty, Russian, ZUMA Press, Putin, KGB, ZUMA Press Wire, Getty Images, Reuters, US, White House, Camp, Brooks, Brooks Kraft LLC, RIA Novosti, AP, AFP, International Olympic, Crimean, Ukrainian, United Nations, UN, Assembly, Russian Foreign Ministry, Sputnik, World, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Macron, SPUTNIK, New York Times, Central Clinical Hospital, AP Putin, Belarus, State Russian Museum, AP North Korean, Vostochny, Tucker Carlson Network, Zuma Press Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Putin Russia, Russian, Bakhmut, St . Petersburg, Leningrad, Germany, Moscow, AFP, Kazan, Cuba, Soviet Union, Southern Siberia, Russia's Tver, Novo, Ogaryovo, Hanover, Sevastopol, Crimea, Belarusian, Minsk, Belarus, France, Turkey, Helsinki, Finland, Buenos Aires, Ukrainian, Paris, Geneva, Switzerland, Taganrog, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Tsiolkovsky, Russia's, North Korea, United States

☆ Libyan leaders agree to form new unified government
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters —Three key Libyan leaders said on Sunday they had agreed on the “necessity” of forming a new unified government that would supervise long-delayed elections. The leaders are the president of the Presidential Council (PC) Mohamed Menfi, the head of High State Council (HSC) Mohamed Takala, who are both based in Tripoli, and Aguila Saleh, speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) in Benghazi. In a joint statement, the three leaders also called on the UN Mission in Libya and the international community to support their proposals. Dbeibah has vowed not to cede power to a new government without national elections. Last week, Central Bank governor Sadiq Kabir wrote to parliament asking it to approve a new unified government and a national budget over GNU extent spending.

Persons: Mohamed Menfi, Mohamed Takala, Aguila Saleh, ”, General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, ” Menfi, Menfi, Abdulhamid, Dbeibah, Sadiq Kabir Organizations: Reuters, Presidential Council, High State, UN, Arab League, Government of National Unity, GNU, Central Bank Locations: Libya, Tripoli, Benghazi, Cairo, UN, NATO

☆ A defining week set to lay bare the choice in the 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But Trump and Biden’s turns in the spotlight this week will highlight their all-but-certain rematch, barring health crises or other surprise events. November’s election is already heaping pressure on political and electoral institutions, the Constitution and America’s fragile national unity. The move further delayed the ex-president’s federal criminal trial over election interference, which Trump – who is seeking to push off his trials past the 2024 election – touted as a win. Ahead of a likely general election clash, Trump’s appetite for testing the rule of law and the Constitution is undimmed. While leaders of both congressional chambers have reached a bipartisan spending deal, the tiny GOP House majority means any piece of legislation is a heavy lift.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Biden’s, Biden, Trump’s, he’s, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Nikki Haley, ”, . South Dakota Sen, John Thune, Mitch McConnell, he’ll, Haley, “, GOP Sen, Markwayne Mullin, CNN’s Dana, there’s, wilder, “ Biden, White, –, Mike Johnson Organizations: CNN, GOP, Colorado Supreme, Supreme, Super, Democratic, Trump, South Carolina Gov, Capitol, Republican, “, Oklahoma, Biden, American, The New York Times, Siena College, Times, Street Journal, Hamas, MAGA ” Republicans Locations: Idaho, Missouri, Washington ,, . South Dakota, South Carolina, “ State, Greensboro , North Carolina, United States of America, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Michigan

☆ Palestinian factions seek unity at Moscow meeting as Russia vies for greater role in Gaza war
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Abbas Allawati | Analysis Abbas Al Lawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Palestinian factions, some of whom have been at odds for almost two decades, are meeting in Moscow to discuss forming a new government just days after the Palestinian Authority government resigned. Hamas, which is fighting a war with Israel in Gaza that has killed more than 30,000 people in the enclave, is attending the talks, according to Russian media. Analysts say that Hamas joining the PLO would be a significant development, given that it could potentially unify the Palestinian factions and create a consensus cabinet. Despite the PLO’s recognition of Israel, Hamas joining the bloc wouldn’t mean that it would automatically acknowledge it, he added. Moscow had offered to mediate between Hamas and Israel soon after the war started, touting its ties to all regional stakeholders.

Persons: Hussein Hamayel, ”, Khaled Elgindy, Fatah, Riyad al, Maliki, “, Israel, Elgindy, Anna Borshchevskaya, Russia’s, Vladimir Putin “, CNN’s Matog Saleh, Celine Alkhaldi Organizations: CNN, Palestinian Authority, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, Fatah, Wednesday, Hamas, Middle East Institute, Washington DC, West Bank, West Bank . PA, Reuters, Washington Institute for Near, West Locations: Moscow, Israel, Gaza, Washington, Oslo, United States, Russia, Policy, Russian, Elgindy

☆ ‘A show and propaganda:’ Iran braces for low-turnout election amid silenced dissent, tumbling economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Rosa Rahimi | Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“No, I will not vote,” a 23-year-old Iranian woman told CNN from Tehran. Authorities are nonetheless eager to bring people to the polls, trying to inspire a sense of duty and resistance among Iranians amid Israel’s war in Gaza. Pedestrians pass by a poster featuring Ayatollah Khomeini, the first Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic (right) and Ayatollah Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader (left) on February 24 in Tehran, Iran. Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty ImagesOther officials have directly cited the Gaza war to rally voters ahead of the polling day. An election poster for a female parliamentary candidate apparently plays on the 'Woman-Life-Freedom' protest slogan, replacing it with 'Woman-Wisdom-Greatness' in Isfahan, Iran on February 24.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mahsa, “, ”, Khamenei, ” Khamenei, Khomeini, Ayatollah Khamenei, Hossein Beris, Hamidreza, Alex Vatanka, Foad, ” Izadi, ISNA, Hassan Moslemi Naeini, Morteza, ” Iran’s, hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, Holly Dagres, Jamshid Jamshidi, –, Hassan Rouhani, ” Hengaw, Pedram Soltani Organizations: CNN, Experts, Authorities, Islamic, Getty, Middle East Institute, University of Tehran’s, World Studies, Center for Education, Culture, Research, Atlantic Council, University of Oxford, UN, CNN International, Iran’s Guardian, Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Army Locations: Iran, Tehran, “, Gaza, Islamic Republic, Tehran Times, Washington , DC, Israel, Isfahan, Norway, Sanandaj, Jordan

☆ Back From War, Reserve Soldiers Set Their Sights on Israel’s Politics as Usual
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Isabel Kershner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Gathered this month around a campfire on the edge of a forest in central Israel, the soldiers planned their next mission: saving their deeply divided country from itself. Like many of the thousands of Israeli reservists called to fight in Gaza, the soldiers left for war amid a sudden surge of national unity after the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel. But as the military has withdrawn soldiers from Gaza in recent weeks and the troops have returned home, they have found their country less like it was after Oct. 7 and more like it was before: torn by divisive politics and culture clashes. Now, as these bitter divisions re-emerge, disillusioned reservists are at the vanguard of movements demanding a political reset, seeking unity and repudiating what many view as extreme polarization.

Locations: Israel, Gaza

☆ Palestinian Prime Minister Shtayyeh resigns
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh speaks during a press conference after several key donor countries halted funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), in the West Bank city of Ramallah on January 28, 2024, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Monday he was resigning to allow for the formation of a broad consensus among Palestinians about political arrangements following Israel's war against the Islamist group Hamas in Gaza. The Palestinian Authority, formed 30 years ago under the interim Oslo peace accords, exercises limited governance over parts of the occupied West Bank but lost power in Gaza following a struggle with Hamas in 2007. A senior Hamas official said the move had to be followed by a broader agreement on governance for the Palestinians. So far, almost 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza fighting, according to Palestinian health authorities, and almost the entire population has been driven from their homes.

Persons: Mohammad Shtayyeh, Mahmoud Abbas, Abbas, Fatah, Sami Abu Zuhri Organizations: Palestinian, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, West Bank, Hamas, Gaza . Palestinian, Palestinian Authority, Reuters Locations: Ramallah, Israel, Gaza ., Gaza, Palestine, Oslo, Moscow

☆ Myanmar military conscription law sparks panic and fear as youth prepare to flee
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Helen Regan | Angus Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

It’s a terrifying prospect that could become a reality for Anna and millions of her peers across Myanmar after the military junta activated a mandatory conscription law for all young men and women. “While wounded and increasingly desperate, the Myanmar military junta remains extremely dangerous,” Tom Andrews, United Nations Special Rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, said in a statement. “People know for sure that no matter what is written in the conscription law, they will have to go to the front lines. “In Myanmar, young people are not safe anymore,” said Maung Nyein, who also requested to use a pseudonym for safety reasons. “Our villagers won’t join the military forces or leave the country, instead we will join our resistance forces.

Persons: Anna, ”, “, ” Tom Andrews, — “, Aung, —, Ting Aung, Zaw Min Tun, Young, Kyaw Naing, Sen, Min Aung Hlaing, Kyaw, doesn’t, ” Anna, he’s, he’ll, Khin Ohmar, Stringer, Maung, Maung Nyein, terrifies, Ko, Maung Aye, he’d Organizations: CNN, Thai Embassy, Getty, Analysts, United Nations, People’s Defense Forces, National Unity Government, United, CNN Defense, Armed Forces, Reuters, Facebook, Foreign Ministry, Myanmar, Mandalay People's Defense Forces, Immigration, International Labour Locations: Myanmar, Myanmar’s, Yangon, AFP, United States, Naypyidaw, Thailand, Rakhine, Mandalay, Shan State, “, Shwebo, Sagaing

☆ Israel’s Druze Arabs, fiercely loyal to the state, feel let down after ‘paying with their blood’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

About a million-strong, the global Druze community is largely spread across Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Some 130,000 Israeli Druze live in the Carmel and Galilee in the country’s north. There have been rumblings of discontent since 2018, when tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv to protest Israel’s controversial “nation-state” law. “The (nation-state) law didn’t affect our identity – it affected our sense of belonging,” he said in a video call with CNN. “The Druze community has no dream to have a country – we don’t want it, we don’t believe in it.

Persons: Alim Abdallah, Abdallah, we’d, ” Abdallah’s, Mona, Mona Abdallah Saad, “, ” Mona, ”, Alim Abdallah Saad, Adam, Maya, ” Abdallah, CNN hasn’t, Col, Salman Habaka, Be’eri, Habaka, Gadeer Kamal, Kamal, ‘ I’m, I’m, ’, Corinna Kern, Anwar Saab, It’s, Omri Eilat, Ariel Schalit, Benny Gantz, Bejamin Netanyahu, Bibi –, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, 300th Baram Regional Brigade, Washington DC, Jewish Agency for, Reuters ‘, Saab, University of Haifa, Druze Heritage Center, National Unity, Israeli Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Yanuh, Lebanese, Syria, Carmel, Galilee, Golan, Egypt, Israel’s, Hala, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Druze, Washington, Jewish Agency for Israel, Iran, Isfiya, Yanuh Jat

☆ Three Dead in Senegal Protests Over Delayed Presidential Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Diadie Ba and Ngouda DioneDAKAR (Reuters) - The death toll amid protests in Senegal over the postponement of the presidential election until December has climbed to three, as concerns grow that one of the remaining democracies in coup-hit West Africa is under threat. The ministry has so far confirmed only one death, a student in the northern city of Saint-Louis on Friday. Reuters has not been able to independently confirm a reported second death: a 23-year-old merchant on the outskirts of Dakar, according to CFS. "We urge all parties to act in a peaceful and measured manner, and we continue to call on President Sall to restore the electoral calendar, restore confidence, and bring calm to the situation," it said. The postponement bill backed by parliament included the extension of his tenure until his successor is installed after the election now reset for Dec. 15.

Persons: Ba, Dione DAKAR, Macky Sall, Sall, Ndiame Diop, Louis, Guy Marius Sagna, Alessandra Prentice, Hugh Lawson Organizations: West African, ECOWAS, Cartogra Free, Reuters, Friday, U.S . Bureau, African Affairs Locations: Senegal, Africa, Dakar, Zinguinchor, Cartogra Free Senegal, Saint

The law has been activated in the wake of the army’s biggest setbacks since the countrywide conflict erupted after the takeover. The rout inspired resistance forces in other parts of the country to launch their own attacks. The military government’s forces were stretched thin by the recent upsurge in resistance activity. The 2021 military takeover was met by widespread nonviolent protests and civil disobedience. But the confrontations escalated into violence after security forces used deadly force against the protesters, giving birth to organized armed resistance that has spiraled into civil war.

Persons: —, extendable, Aung, Suu Kyi, Zaw Min Tun, ”, Min Tun Organizations: Service Law, State Administration Council, National Unity Government, Frontier Myanmar Locations: BANGKOK, State, Suu, Myanmar, Rakhine, Bangladesh, Maj, Zaw, Yangon

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The government of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has taken steps to to address human rights abuses in the country, including the killings of journalists and rights activists, a U.N. expert said Friday. Khan said she underscored the need for the Marcos administration to seek justice for rights victims under his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. She cited U.N. figures saying that at least 81 past killings of journalists in the Philippines have not been investigated and remain unresolved. He insisted that the task force Khan wants disbanded had helped weaken the communist insurgency in recent years, with just 1,500 guerrillas remaining. Once remaining guerrilla fronts have been dismantled, the task force would turn to promoting peace and national unity, Malaya said.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Irene Khan, Khan, Marcos, Rodrigo Duterte, ” Khan, ” Jonathan Malaya, Joeal Calupitan, Aaron Favila Organizations: United Nations, —, Communist Party of, New People’s Army, National Security Council, Associated Press Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Philippine, Manila, Malaya

☆ Far-Rightist Threatens to Quit Israel Gov't Over Any 'Reckless' Gaza Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A far-right partner in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition threatened on Tuesday to quit the government over any attempt to enter a "reckless" deal with Hamas to retrieve hostages held by the Palestinian militants. "Reckless deal = dismantling of the government," Itamar Ben-Gvir of the Jewish Power party posted on X, amid media reports that Israel was considering a long-term halt, brokered by Qatar an Egypt, to its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Jewish Power accounts for six of the 64 seats that Netanyahu's religious-rightist coalition held in the 120-seat parliament before the Gaza war. They have called for no let-up in the offensive and for Israel to resettle Gaza, from which it withdrew in 2005. Netanyahu has ruled out rebuilding of Jewish settlements there but says post-war Gaza will be under Israeli security control.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu's, Itamar Ben, Israel, Ben, Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Netanyahu, Dan Williams, Ari Rabinovitch, Ros Russell Organizations: Jewish Power, Hamas, Jewish, National Locations: JERUSALEM, Qatar, Egypt, Gaza, Israel

☆ Netanyahu must be removed, say top former Israeli national security officials
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —More than 40 senior former Israeli national security officials, celebrated scientists and prominent business leaders have sent a letter to Israel’s president and speaker of parliament demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be removed from office for posing what they say is an “existential” threat to the country. “The victim’s blood is on Netanyahu’s hands.”The letter was sent to Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday and to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana on Friday. The frontrunner in the poll was the National Unity party led by former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz, currently a member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet. Video Ad Feedback Backlash grows over Israel's Netanyahu seemingly ruling out a two-state solution. Netanyahu told a news conference last week that politicians who are asking him to step down are essentially asking for a Palestinian state.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Isaac Herzog, Amir Ohana, “, Moshe Ya’alon, Dan Halutz, Tamir Pardo, Danny Yatom, Nadav Argaman, Yaakov Peri, Shin, Aaron Ciechanover, Avram Hershko, Dan Shechtman, Benny Gantz, aren’t, Yair Lapid, ”, Haim Tomer, ” Tomer, Israel's Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, Biden, Tomer, I’ve, ” Israel Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, “, Shin Bet, Israel’s, Likud, National Unity, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Mossad, International Court of Justice Locations: Israel, Iran, United States, Gaza, Qatar, Palestinian, South Africa

☆ Relatives of Gaza Hostages Storm Israeli Parliament Panel as Protests Mount
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The action by about 20 people signalled growing domestic dissent in the fourth month of the Gaza war. One woman held up pictures of three family members who were among the 253 people seized in the cross-border Hamas rampage of Oct. 7 that triggered the worst fighting in decades. Parliamentary ushers, often quick to eject hecklers or protesters, stood by during the ruckus in the Knesset Finance Committee. On Sunday, Netanyahu rejected conditions presented by Hamas to end the war and release hostages that would includeIsrael's complete withdrawal and leaving Hamas in power in Gaza. (Writing by Dan Williams and Steven Scheer, Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Persons: Steven Scheer, Dan Williams JERUSALEM, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Moshe Gafni, Netanyahu, Israel's, Dan Williams, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Parliamentary, Jewish, Forum Locations: Jerusalem, Gaza, Netanyahu's

☆ Thousands of New Zealand Maori Meet to Discuss Response to Government Plans
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Maori King Tuheitia, who hosted the event, told attendees their voices matter but it was not just talk, a solution that was needed. Critics say these vows are the most significant step backward for Maori rights in decades, and some have taken legal action. The Maori king had called on tribes from around the country last month to gather at his traditional meeting grounds, or Marae in Ngaruawahia, south of Auckland, to discuss how Maori respond. “Just be Maori, Maori all day, everyday, we are here, we are strong,” he said. The prime minister met the Maori king earlier this week and said he was supportive of the meeting.

Persons: Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON, Tuheitia, we've, Christopher Luxon, “, ” Tuheitia, ”, Luxon, Lucy Craymer, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, New Zealand Maori, reo, awa Locations: North Island, Ngaruawahia, Auckland, Waitangi, New

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