sting – newsinsightplus

newsinsightplus.com
10th
2021.So
March 9, 2024
0 Comments

BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaNigeria’s mass abductions: What lies behind the resurgence?Published37 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, AFPImage caption, Family members of those who had been abducted from a school in Kaduna gathered to meet the state governor on ThursdayBy Yusuf AkinpeluBBC News, LagosNigeria is once more being rocked by mass abductions.Twice in one week, gangs of motorcycle-riding armed men, operating from forests in two different places in the north of the country, kidnapped hundreds of people.First on Wednesday we got news from a remote town in Borno state in the north-east that suspected militant Islamists had seized women and children from a displaced persons camp who were searching for firewood. It took several days for the news to emerge because the local mobile phone masts had been destroyed.Then the following day, more than 280 children, aged between eight and 15, and some teachers, were taken away by gunmen from a school hundreds of miles away in the north-western state of Kaduna into a nearby forest.There are reports locally that this attack was carried out by militants from the al-Qaeda-linked Ansaru group.In recent months, there had been a lull in this type of mass kidnapping that had plagued Nigeria since the notorious abduction of nearly 300 girls from a school in Chibok in April 2014 which captured international headlines. But now, it’s déjà vu as the 10th anniversary of that tragedy looms.The mass abduction in Kaduna is the biggest from a school since 2021.So why is there a resurgence of this kidnapping that is endangering the lives of the most vulnerable Nigerians?It is hard to discern a pattern from the coincidental timing of two apparently unconnected incidents, but it is a reminder that the threat has not gone away.The fact that they happened just days before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan may be significant.Those who have been kidnapped and freed in the past have talked about being forced to do cooking and other menial jobs in the forest camps.But in general, kidnap-for-ransom in Nigeria is a low-risk, high-reward business. Those abducted are usually freed after money is handed over, and the perpetrators are rarely arrested.This is despite the fact that paying a ransom to free someone has been made illegal.In all, more than 4,700 people have been kidnapped since President Bola Tinubu came into power last May, risk consultants SBM Intelligence have said.Image source, AFPImage caption, Campaigners have called on the authorities to do more to end the insecurityKidnapping has become a lucrative venture for people driven by economic desperation to raise funds. Apart from ransoms of money, gangs have in the past demanded foodstuffs, motorcycles and even petrol in exchange for the release of hostages.”Nigeria’s poor economy creates the conditions for kidnapping. Over the past year, the government has not been able to fix its foreign exchange problem,” William Linder, a retired CIA officer and head of 14 North, an Africa-focused risk advisory, told the BBC.”Food prices have skyrocketed, especially over the past six months. The perception of corruption continues.”Alex Vines, director of the Africa programme at the Chatham House think-tank agrees. He said that the recent attacks can be tied to Nigeria’s underperforming economy and the inability of the forces to disrupt the kidnapping gangs’ activities.Rising food costs have been worsened by the farmers not being able to access their fields to grow food as they fear being attacked or kidnapped.”In large swathes of these areas, armed gangs have supplanted both the government and traditional rulers as the de facto authority,” Dr Vines explained.The gangs often extort money from people, but the fact that they are unable to farm means there are fewer funds available, which may explain the gangs turning to kidnapping.Likewise, the shrinking of the Lake Chad basin and the spreading of the Sahara Desert southward has led to the disappearance of arable farmland and a scarcity of water.”These pressures only add to the woes of many, especially in the north. This pushes people to seek alternative means of income. Unfortunately, kidnapping for ransom is one,” Mr Linder said.The gangs are aided by the fact that Nigeria’s borders are porous and insecure. Islamist violence in the wider region has added to the insecurity.The vast forest reserves in the border regions have been turned into operational bases for the criminals.”Nigeria needs to work with its neighbours,” said Bulama Bukarti, a senior conflict analyst at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. “Without transnational co-operation especially with Niger, Cameroon, Chad, including in the north-western part of Nigeria’s border, these incidents will continue to repeat themselves.” But that alone would not help Nigeria defeat the gangs, Mr Bukarti added. The authorities also need to be willing to bring perpetrators to justice. “We have never seen a gang leader arrested and prosecuted. It’s lucrative. More people will join, and impunity will increase,” he said.More about Nigeria’s kidnap crisis: What in the World Podcast: Nigeria’s kidnap crisisThe motorcycle bandits terrorising northern NigeriaWhy Nigeria’s economy is in such a mess’Why I returned to Boko Haram and how I escaped”How I survived my train hijacking’Kidnapping and debt: A Nigerian legacyRelated TopicsNigeriaAround the BBCFocus on Africa podcastsTop StoriesArmy’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’Published5 hours agoFertility clinic licence suspended over concernsPublished4 hours agoDestructive Joshua knocks out Ngannou in second roundAttributionSportPublished1 hour agoFeaturesThe Papers: ‘Camilla to the rescue’ and ‘Budget falls flat’Why does International Women’s Day matter?Did State of the Union change how voters see Biden?Weekly quiz: Which billionaire hired Rihanna to celebrate a wedding?Singapore sting: How spies listened in on German generalMH370: The families haunted by one of aviation’s greatest mysteriesPride, pilgrims and parades: Africa’s top shotsWhy did the IRA not kill Stakeknife?’I’m really shy’ – The return of Gossip’s Beth DittoElsewhere on the BBCThe ultimate bromanceWatch the masters of satire Peter Cook and Dudley Moore with a look back through the archivesAttributioniPlayerDid one man from Iraq make Norway rich?Meet the man behind Norway’s rise to oil richesAttributionSoundsCan new evidence solve aviation’s greatest mystery?Ten years after the Malaysian Airlines flight disappeared, new technology may explain whyAttributioniPlayerHow Trump’s golf dream turned into a nightmare…His controversial golf development in Aberdeenshire was greenlit with awful consequencesAttributionSoundsMost Read1’Camilla to the rescue’ and ‘Budget falls flat’2University of Cambridge painting damaged by group3Meghan: ‘We’ve forgotten our humanity’ online4Destructive Joshua knocks out Ngannou in second roundAttributionSport5The Brit up for three visual effects Oscars6Fertility clinic licence suspended over concerns7Five killed in Gaza aid drop parachute failure – reports8New ‘national stadium’ task force unveiled9Boy, 11, found driving BMW towing caravan on M110Police investigate ‘care of dead’ at funeral homes

[ad_1] “Nigeria’s poor economy creates the conditions for kidnapping. Over the past year, the government has not been able to fix its foreign exchange problem,” William Linder, a retired CIA…

newsinsightplus.com
1000The
1996.How
March 9, 2024
0 Comments

BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityAsiaChinaIndiaAfghanistan’s singing sisters defying the Taliban from under a burkaPublished5 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Kawoon KhamooshImage caption, The sisters became a social media phenomenon. Here, recording one of their latest songsBy Kawoon KhamooshBBC 100 WomenAs the world was watching the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, two sisters in Kabul were among millions of women in Afghanistan who could directly feel the new regime tightening its grip on them.They decided they couldn’t just stand back and watch women’s freedoms being restricted, and started secretly using the power of their voices to resist.Putting themselves in great danger in a country where musicians can be arrested, they started a singing movement on social media known as the Last Torch.”We’re going to sing this but it could cost us our lives,” one of them said in a recorded video, before they started the tune.It was released in August 2021, just days after the Taliban takeover, and quickly went viral on Facebook and WhatsApp.Without any background in music, the sisters – who wear burkas to conceal their identity – became a musical phenomenon.”Our fight started from right under the flag of the Taliban and against the Taliban,” says Shaqayeq (not her real name), the younger member of the duo.”Before the Taliban came to power, we had never written a single poem. This is what the Taliban did to us.”Image source, Last TorchImage caption, Last Torch is led by the two sisters performing against the TalibanAfter returning to power, it took the Taliban less than 20 days to implement its unique vision for Afghanistan.Imposing Sharia (Islamic religious law) on everyday life and restricting women’s access to education were among their priorities. Women took to the streets of Kabul and other major cities to resist, but faced a harsh crackdown.”Women were the last light of hope we could see,” says Shaqayeq.”That’s why we decided to call ourselves the Last Torch. Thinking that we wouldn’t be able to go anywhere, we decided to start a secret protest from home.”The pair soon released other songs, sung from under blue burkas, just as the first song was. One was a famous poem by the late Nadia Anjuman, who wrote it in protest against the first Taliban takeover in 1996.How can I speak of honey when my mouth is filled with poison?Alas my mouth is smashed by a cruel fist…Oh for the day that I break the cage,Break free from this isolation and sing in joy.Image source, Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu/Getty ImagesImage caption, Women protested against the restrictions in front of the Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of ViceAs the Taliban banned women’s education, Nadia Anjuman and her friends used to meet at an underground school, The Golden Needle, where they would pretend to be sewing but would instead read books. They too wore the blue burka, known as chadari in Afghanistan.The older of the two singing sisters, Mashal (also a pseudonym), compares the burka to “‘a mobile cage”.”It’s like a graveyard where the dreams of thousands of women and girls are buried,” she says.”This burka is like a stone that the Taliban threw on women 25 years ago,” Shaqayeq adds. “And they did it again when they returned to power.”We wanted to use the weapon they used against us, to fight back against their restrictions.”This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: The sisters perform one of their songsThe sisters have only released seven songs so far but each has resonated strongly with women across the country. To begin with they used other writers’ lyrics, but they reached a point “where no poem could explain how we felt,” Shaqayeq says, so they started writing their own.Their themes are the suffocating limitations placed on women’s everyday lives, the imprisonment of activists and violations of human rights.Fans have responded by posting their own performances of the songs on social media. In some cases they have also worn burkas as a disguise, while one group of Afghan school students living outside the country recorded a version on stage in the school auditorium.This is the opposite of what the Taliban wanted to achieve.One of its first measures after taking power was to replace the Ministry of Women’s Affairs with the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. The new ministry has not only enforced wearing of the burka, but also condemned music for supposedly destroying the roots of Islam.”Singing and listening to music is very harmful,” said Sawabgul, an official who appeared in one of the ministry’s propaganda videos. “It distracts people from God’s prayers… Everyone should stay away from it.”Soon there were videos of Taliban foot soldiers on social media, burning musical instruments and parading arrested musicians.Image source, Bakhter News AgencyImage caption, Foot soldiers were seen burning musical instrumentsShaqayeq says she has had many sleepless nights thinking the Taliban might identify them.”We have seen their threats on social media: ‘Once we find you, we know how to remove your tongue from your throat,'” says Mashal.”Our parents get scared whenever they read these comments. They say maybe it’s enough and we should stop… But we tell them we can’t, we cannot just continue with our normal lives.”For their security, the sisters left the country last year but they hope to return soon.Image caption, In the streets, women protested the Taliban’s ban on education – and shared photos of their protest on social mediaSonita Alizada, a professional rapper from Afghanistan now living in Canada, is one of those who has admired the Last Torch’s videos from abroad.”When I saw two women under a burka singing, honestly I was crying,” she says.She was born in 1996, the year the Taliban first took power, and her family fled to Iran when she was just a child. There her mother tried to sell her into a forced marriage, but she found her way out through music. Like the two sisters of the Last Torch, she sees the women who have protested against the Taliban as a sign of hope.One of the sisters’ songs refers to the protesters directly.Your fight is beautiful. Your female scream.You are my broken picture in the window.”The situation is very disappointing in Afghanistan right now because we have lost decades of progress,” Sonita says. “But in this darkness there’s a light still burning. We see individuals fighting with their own talent.”Image caption, Farida Mahwash: ‘These two singers will turn four and then become 10, and then 1,000’The BBC also showed one of the sisters’ most recent songs to Farida Mahwash, one of Afghanistan’s most celebrated female singers, with a career of over half a century until her recent retirement.”These two singers will turn four and then become 10, and then 1,000,” she said. “If one day they go on stage, I’ll walk with them even if I have to use a walking stick.”In Kabul, the crackdown on activism has further intensified in the past year, with authorities banning women from holding rallies and arresting those who defy the ban.One of the sisters’ latest songs is about female activists who were imprisoned by the Taliban and kept in what Human Rights Watch described as “abusive conditions”.The waves of female voicesbreak locks and chains of prison.This pen filled with our bloodbreaks your swords and arrows.”These poems are just a small part of the grief and pain we have in our hearts,” Shaqayeq says.”The pain and struggle of the people of Afghanistan, and the grief they have endured under the Taliban in the last years, can’t fit in any poem.”The UN says the Taliban could be responsible for gender apartheid if it continues with its current policies. The Taliban has responded that it is implementing Sharia, and won’t accept outside interference in the country’s internal affairs.Shaqayeq and Mashal are working on their next songs. They are hoping to echo the voice of women in Afghanistan in their fight for freedom. “Our voice won’t be silenced. We are not tired. It’s just the beginning of our fight.”The sisters’ names have been changed for their safety.BBC 100 Women names 100 inspiring and influential women around the world every year. Follow BBC 100 Women on Instagram and Facebook. Join the conversation using #BBC100Women.Related Topics100 WomenAfghanistanWomen’s rights in AfghanistanWomenTop StoriesArmy’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’Published4 hours agoFertility clinic licence suspended over concernsPublished3 hours agoDestructive Joshua knocks out Ngannou in second roundAttributionSportPublished7 minutes agoFeaturesThe Papers: ‘Camilla to the rescue’ and ‘Budget falls flat’Why does International Women’s Day matter?Did State of the Union change how voters see Biden?Weekly quiz: Which billionaire hired Rihanna to celebrate a wedding?Singapore sting: How spies listened in on German generalMH370: The families haunted by one of aviation’s greatest mysteriesPride, pilgrims and parades: Africa’s top shotsWhy did the IRA not kill Stakeknife?’I’m really shy’ – The return of Gossip’s Beth DittoElsewhere on the BBCThe ultimate bromanceWatch the masters of satire Peter Cook and Dudley Moore with a look back through the archivesAttributioniPlayerDid one man from Iraq make Norway rich?Meet the man behind Norway’s rise to oil richesAttributionSoundsCan new evidence solve aviation’s greatest mystery?Ten years after the Malaysian Airlines flight disappeared, new technology may explain whyAttributioniPlayerHow Trump’s golf dream turned into a nightmare…His controversial golf development in Aberdeenshire was greenlit with awful consequencesAttributionSoundsMost Read1’Camilla to the rescue’ and ‘Budget falls flat’2Destructive Joshua knocks out Ngannou in second roundAttributionSport3Meghan: ‘We’ve forgotten our humanity’ online4Boy, 11, found driving BMW towing caravan on M15University of Cambridge painting damaged by group6Fertility clinic licence suspended over concerns7TV star shaken after Jaguar brakes fail during drive8New ‘national stadium’ task force unveiled9US says UFO sightings likely secret military tests10Police investigate ‘care of dead’ at funeral homes

[ad_1] She was born in 1996, the year the Taliban first took power, and her family fled to Iran when she was just a child. There her mother tried to…

newsinsightplus.com
2023Top
Aberdeenshire
March 9, 2024
0 Comments

BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaDesperate TikTok lobbying effort backfires on Capitol HillPublished22 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, TikTok has few supporters on Capitol Hill – and may have lost some this weekBy Sam CabralBBC News, WashingtonUS congressional offices have told the BBC they are being deluged with calls from TikTok users about legislation that could see the popular app banned.Callers range from teenagers to the elderly, and most are “really confused and are calling because ‘TikTok told me to'”, one Republican staffer revealed.A Democratic staffer said the most aggressive and threatening calls their office received came from adult women.So far, TikTok’s big mobilization appears to be backfiring.Lawmakers and their staff say that the lobbying campaign has actually worsened the concerns they have about the app and its parent company ByteDance, and strengthened their resolve to pass the legislation. The bill, introduced by a bipartisan group of 20 lawmakers, would mandate that ByteDance sell TikTok within six months, or TikTok would be removed from mobile app stores in the US.The legislation is sailing through Congress, winning rare unanimous approval from a key committee, and the full House is expected to vote on it on Wednesday. President Joe Biden has said that he will sign it into law if it reaches his desk.Its swift advance has drawn a frantic last-minute push by TikTok to mobilise users directly against those responsible for the legislation.TikTok confirmed to the BBC it had sent a notification urging TikTokers to “call your representative now” to urge them to vote against the measure. Users said that the app gave them a direct link for calling the representatives for their districts.Are Chinese tech firms a security risk?Florida Congressman Neal Dunn’s office told the BBC it has received more than 900 calls from TikTokers, “many of which were vulnerable school-aged children” and some of whose extreme rhetoric had to be flagged for security reasons.Mr Dunn, a Republican, is an original co-sponsor of the bill.”This effort by ByteDance validated the Congressman’s concerns,” his office said in a statement.”American phones were geolocated and TikTok users were locked out of the platform until they called their members of Congress. ByteDance weaponized the app against America, and that is exactly why the Congressman supports this measure.”When contacted about those allegations by the BBC, TikTok provided the statement: “With regards to users being locked out of the app until they called, that is false. All users had two methods for dismissing the notifications.”Lawmakers have long accused ByteDance of having links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and have cast the video-sharing app as a potential threat to Americans’ privacy and mental health. TikTok, which says it is now used by more than 170 million people in the US, and ByteDance deny those claims.TikTok sparks user revolt in US over sale planCarlos Gimenez, who sits alongside Mr Dunn on the House committee behind the bill, said he would not be deterred from voting for it “regardless of TikTok’s targeted campaign against members of Congress”.A spokesperson for New York Democrat Ritchie Torres – a joint leader of the legislation – confirmed that his office too has received “seemingly endless calls” though none were of a threatening nature.”I am deeply troubled by reports of young people calling Congress, threatening to commit suicide or otherwise harm themselves,” Mr Torres said in a statement to the BBC.”The iron grip that TikTok has on the minds of young people is a profound public health hazard.”This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, TikTok boss grilled on CCP ties: ‘I am Singaporean’Staffers to other lawmakers on both sides of the aisle also reported hundreds of calls to their offices, from app users young and old, who do not have a clear idea of either who or why they are calling. “We’ve gotten calls from people who are angry and screaming, some people who are asking kindly if TikTok is going to be banned, and some have said TikTok wouldn’t let them on the app without calling their [representative],” a spokesperson for Dusty Johnson told the BBC.”We’ve had callers that sound 12 years old and callers that sound like they are in their sixties,” the source continued.Mr Johnson, a South Dakota Republican, has been outspoken about the national security threat posed by TikTok and is supportive of the proposed bill, “so it’s certainly possible that our office is targeted because of those things”, his spokesperson added.”TikTok’s defensive efforts make it clear they don’t want to divest from ByteDance, whether that is TikTok’s decision or ByteDance’s top-down order to TikTok.”Related TopicsSocial mediaTikTokUS CongressUnited StatesMore on this storyTikTok sparks user revolt in US over sale planPublished12 hours agoUS bill could force ByteDance to divest TikTokPublished3 days agoAre Chinese tech firms a security risk?Published24 March 2023Top StoriesArmy’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’Published3 hours agoFertility clinic licence suspended over concernsPublished2 hours agoWest Bank violence: ‘My child’s destiny was to get killed’Published7 hours agoFeaturesWhy does International Women’s Day matter?Did State of the Union change how voters see Biden?Weekly quiz: Which billionaire hired Rihanna to celebrate a wedding?Singapore sting: How spies listened in on German generalMH370: The families haunted by one of aviation’s greatest mysteriesPride, pilgrims and parades: Africa’s top shotsWhy did the IRA not kill Stakeknife?’I’m really shy’ – The return of Gossip’s Beth DittoHow are the child benefit rules changing?Elsewhere on the BBCThe ultimate bromanceWatch the masters of satire Peter Cook and Dudley Moore with a look back through the archivesAttributioniPlayerDid one man from Iraq make Norway rich?Meet the man behind Norway’s rise to oil richesAttributionSoundsCan new evidence solve aviation’s greatest mystery?Ten years after the Malaysian Airlines flight disappeared, new technology may explain whyAttributioniPlayerHow Trump’s golf dream turned into a nightmare…His controversial golf development in Aberdeenshire was greenlit with awful consequencesAttributionSoundsMost Read1Boy, 11, found driving BMW towing caravan on M12TV star shaken after Jaguar brakes fail during drive3Meghan: ‘We’ve forgotten our humanity’ online4Fertility clinic licence suspended over concerns5US says UFO sightings likely secret military tests6Five killed in Gaza aid drop parachute failure – reports7Army’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’8Rail-crazy couple get married on moving train9’Bearman already marked out as potentially a special one’AttributionSport10Constance Marten: I carried baby’s body in a bag

[ad_1] Mr Johnson, a South Dakota Republican, has been outspoken about the national security threat posed by TikTok and is supportive of the proposed bill, “so it’s certainly possible that…

newsinsightplus.com
120seat
2021.The
March 8, 2024
0 Comments

BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaNetanyahu is a survivor, but his problems are stacking upPublished5 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warBy Wyre DaviesBBC Middle East correspondent”How many more deaths and disasters will Israel endure under Netanyahu’s watch?” ran a headline in an Israeli newspaper this week.The piece in Haaretz followed a report that held the Israeli prime minister and other senior figures in his administration personally responsible for failures over a stampede that led to the death of 45 people at a Jewish religious festival in 2021.The newspaper, which is frequently critical of the prime minister, pointed out that Mr Netanyahu did not respond directly to the report. Instead, his Likud party suggested that the commission investigating the disaster was itself politically motivated.Commentators across the political divide saw a parallel between the Mount Meron disaster and the 7 October attacks by Hamas, in which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage – specifically Mr Netanyahu’s refusal to accept responsibility.It comes at a time when opinion polls do not make good reading for the prime minister.While he has insisted that “absolute victory” is the only option to end the war, a poll last month by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) found that a majority of both Jewish (51%) and Arab Israelis (77.5%) said there is a low likelihood of achieving his aim to eliminate Hamas.One survey, conducted back in November by Bar Ilan University, suggested that fewer than 4% of Israelis trusted Mr Netanyahu’s decision-making over the war in Gaza.While confidence in Mr Netanyahu is low, most Israelis have consistently supported the war in Gaza. The IDI’s Tamar Herman sees no contradiction in the suggestion that while most Israelis support the conflict and are less supportive of a future Palestinian state, they’re still mistrustful of Mr Netanyahu.He spearheaded unpopular judicial reforms before the Hamas attacks, and then “lost his security credentials after 7 October”, Mr Herman said. The lack of progress in releasing the remaining hostages is also a source of criticism. Last weekend, thousands of relatives of the hostages and their supporters ended a four-day march outside his official residence in Jerusalem. “Our government must ensure, above all else, that they come home, said Yair Mozes, whose 79-year-old father Gadi was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz. “This is the only humane thing that can happen.”Mr Netanyahu says they are a priority, but his decision to not send a delegation to ceasefire talks in Cairo this week was met with derision in parts of the Israeli media.With the hide of a rhinoceros and an absolute conviction in the justness of his cause, Mr Netanyahu dug in even deeper this week.He reiterated that troops would eventually launch an assault on the southern city of Rafah, where an estimated 1.4 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering. More than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and much of the territory has been destroyed by Israeli shelling.With more signs of a famine looming, international pressure has only grown.A belligerent Mr Netanyahu told a military graduation ceremony this week that that the military “will continue to operate against all of Hamas’s battalions”.”There is international pressure, and it is increasing,” he said, “but it is precisely when the international pressure increases that we must close ranks among ourselves.”Mr Netanyahu was said to be livid this week when Benny Gantz, his arch-political rival and member of the unity war cabinet, set off on an unannounced and unsanctioned trip to visit key allies in Washington DC and London.Mr Gantz is a former army general and chief of staff, and leads the more centrist National Unity party. If an election were to be held today, polls suggest Mr Gantz would secure enough votes in the 120-seat Knesset to form a coalition government and unseat Benjamin Netanyahu.Some of Mr Gantz’s appeal is simply that he is not Benjamin Netanyahu. He’s a centrist and pragmatist who stands by Israel’s military objectives. The openness with which he was received by senior US and UK officials was widely interpreted back home in Israel as a snub to Mr Netanyahu.Others have criticised Mr Gantz, describing him as a “political parking lot”. Transport minister Miri Regev, a Netanyahu ally, said Mr Gantz’s visit looked like “some kind of subversion, like he’s working behind the prime minister’s back”.Mr Netanyahu is a seasoned political survivor. Both his critics and supporters say he will do almost anything to stay in power and keep his government together. But his slim coalition relies on controversial far-right ministers and religious parties to keep afloat, and it is under strain.In return for their support, the groups insist on financial concessions and the right of Orthodox Jews who are religious students to be exempt from military service. In a country where military service is universal, that has always been a contentious issue. But with Israeli soldiers being killed on active duty in Gaza, it’s a policy coming under increasing pressure.Defence Minister Yoav Gallant – also seen as a possible replacement for Mr Netanyahu – is known to be actively seeking to overturn the policy. And the former head of the Shin Bet internal security service, Nadav Argaman, told a security conference in Tel Aviv this week: “An Israeli citizen is someone who serves the state as it determines, meaning either military service or national service.”Mr Netanyahu cannot be all things to all people. When the war ends, there will be an inquiry into the events of 7 October, and who knew what, when.Mr Netanyahu will come under intense scrutiny over what warnings his government was given and his subsequent response. If any findings are highly critical of his role, as many observers think they will be, he may not be able to dismiss them as easily as he dealt with this week’s Mount Meron report. Biden treads carefully through Middle East minefieldGaza desperately needs more aid but agencies can’t copeIsrael-Gaza war: Death and Israel’s search for ‘total victory’What are routes out of this ‘dangerous moment’ in Middle East?Huge push for Gaza aid – but little hope for those sufferingIran’s sudden strikes show just how perilous region has becomeTough choices for Israel in US’s Middle East visionHuge challenges for Israel on its vague ‘day after’ Gaza planStakes are immense as Biden presses Israel to change courseHamas support soars in West Bank – but full uprising can still be avoidedThe status quo is smashed. The future is messy and dangerousBowen: US sets clearer red lines for Israel as ceasefire endsWhen this truce ends, the decisive next phase of war beginsRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warIsraelPalestinian territoriesGazaTop StoriesArmy’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’Published1 hour agoFertility clinic licence suspended over concernsPublished1 hour agoWest Bank violence: ‘My child’s destiny was to get killed’Published6 hours agoFeaturesWhy does International Women’s Day matter?Did State of the Union change how voters see Biden?Weekly quiz: Which billionaire hired Rihanna to celebrate a wedding?Singapore sting: How spies listened in on German generalMH370: The families haunted by one of aviation’s greatest mysteriesPride, pilgrims and parades: Africa’s top shotsWhy did the IRA not kill Stakeknife?’I’m really shy’ – The return of Gossip’s Beth DittoHow are the child benefit rules changing?Elsewhere on the BBCThe ultimate bromanceWatch the masters of satire Peter Cook and Dudley Moore with a look back through the archivesAttributioniPlayerDid one man from Iraq make Norway rich?Meet the man behind Norway’s rise to oil richesAttributionSoundsCan new evidence solve aviation’s greatest mystery?Ten years after the Malaysian Airlines flight disappeared, new technology may explain whyAttributioniPlayerHow Trump’s golf dream turned into a nightmare…His controversial golf development in Aberdeenshire was greenlit with awful consequencesAttributionSoundsMost Read1Boy, 11, found driving BMW towing caravan on M12TV star shaken after Jaguar brakes fail during drive3Meghan: ‘We’ve forgotten our humanity’ online4Fertility clinic licence suspended over concerns5Keegan: ‘I’d have probably punched Ofsted staff’6Five killed in Gaza aid drop parachute failure – reports7US says UFO sightings likely secret military tests8’Bearman already marked out as potentially a special one’AttributionSport9Army’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’10Constance Marten: I carried baby’s body in a bag

[ad_1] Although most Israelis support the war in Gaza, confidence in the prime minister is low, writes Wyre Davies.

newsinsightplus.com
Aberdeenshire
abuses.These
March 8, 2024
0 Comments

BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaZimbabwe: US condemns deportation of aid workersPublished13 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, USAID’s Samantha Power said Zimbabwe’s commitment to democracy was hollowBy Ian CaseyBBC NewsThe US has accused Zimbabwe of harassing, detaining and deporting several of its nationals who were in the country as aid workers.The US Agency for International Development (USAID) said government officials and contractors had been “verbally and physically” intimidated.They were there to “support civic participation, democratic institutions and human rights”, the agency added.But Zimbabwe’s commitment to democratic reform was “hollow”, it said.The Zimbabwean government has not yet commented on USAID’s allegations.On Monday, the US announced fresh sanctions on Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other senior government officials, whom it accuses of corruption and human rights abuses.These replaced existing sanctions imposed two decades ago. A spokesperson for President Mnangagwa condemned the sanctions as “hostile” actions and accused the US government of “gratuitous slander”.Zimbabwe condemns fresh US sanctions as ‘coercive’In a statement, USAID’s administrator, Samantha Power, said that some of its members had been subjected to “overnight detention, transportation in unsafe conditions, prolonged interrogation, seizure of and intrusion into personal electronic equipment”.Ms Power went on to say that this event followed other “serious incidents” over the past two years, in which US government officials and citizens were subjected to “harassment and improper treatment” from Zimbabwean authorities. In a separate statement, Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the US State Department said that the aid team were legally admitted to Zimbabwe to “support the government of Zimbabwe’s expressed commitment to democratic reform”, something Ms Power called a “hollow” commitment. Ms Power’s statement concluded by saying that USAID would “continue to robustly support civil society, human rights defenders, and independent media” in the country but would “not hesitate to take additional measures to hold accountable those who deny Zimbabweans fundamental freedoms and good governance”.USAID says its work in Zimbabwe is to help “strengthen health services, increase security, support economic resilience and promote democratic governance”.Related TopicsInternational sanctionsZimbabweUnited StatesMore on this storyZimbabwe condemns fresh US sanctions as ‘coercive’Published1 day agoUS slaps fresh sanctions on Zimbabwe leadersPublished3 days agoZimbabwe’s governing party wins two-thirds majorityPublished4 FebruaryTop StoriesArmy’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’Published52 minutes agoWest Bank violence: ‘My child’s destiny was to get killed’Published5 hours agoFertility clinic licence suspended over concernsPublished6 minutes agoFeaturesWhy does International Women’s Day matter?Weekly quiz: Which billionaire hired Rihanna to celebrate a wedding?Singapore sting: How spies listened in on German generalMH370: The families haunted by one of aviation’s greatest mysteriesPride, pilgrims and parades: Africa’s top shotsWhy did the IRA not kill Stakeknife?’I’m really shy’ – The return of Gossip’s Beth DittoHow are the child benefit rules changing?The Iranian female DJs shaking the dance floorElsewhere on the BBCThe ultimate bromanceWatch the masters of satire Peter Cook and Dudley Moore with a look back through the archivesAttributioniPlayerDid one man from Iraq make Norway rich?Meet the man behind Norway’s rise to oil richesAttributionSoundsCan new evidence solve aviation’s greatest mystery?Ten years after the Malaysian Airlines flight disappeared, new technology may explain whyAttributioniPlayerHow Trump’s golf dream turned into a nightmare…His controversial golf development in Aberdeenshire was greenlit with awful consequencesAttributionSoundsMost Read1Boy, 11, found driving BMW towing caravan on M12TV star shaken after Jaguar brakes fail during drive3Fertility clinic licence suspended over concerns4University of Cambridge painting damaged by group5Keegan: ‘I’d have probably punched Ofsted staff’6US says UFO sightings likely secret military tests7’Bearman already marked out as potentially a special one’AttributionSport8Five killed in Gaza aid drop parachute failure – reports9Army’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’10Constance Marten: I carried baby’s body in a bag

[ad_1] In a statement, USAID’s administrator, Samantha Power, said that some of its members had been subjected to “overnight detention, transportation in unsafe conditions, prolonged interrogation, seizure of and intrusion…

newsinsightplus.com
2014Guatemalan
2015Top
March 8, 2024
0 Comments

BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaEx-president of Honduras found guilty of drug crimesPublished1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersImage caption, A court sketch of former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez during his US trialBy Nadine YousifBBC NewsJuan Orlando Hernández, the ex-president of Honduras, has been found guilty of drug trafficking charges in a federal US court. Hernández was convicted on Friday of conspiring to import cocaine into the US, and possessing “destructive devices” including machine guns.Prosecutors said the ex-president ran Honduras like a “narco-state”, protecting and accepting bribes from drug traffickers. Hernández now faces life in prison. The 55-year-old former president had denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty in the case. He was convicted by a jury in a Manhattan federal court after about two days of deliberations. Hernández was president of Honduras from 2014 to 2022, serving for two consecutive terms. He initially ran as a law-and-order candidate who promised to address the issue of drug-related crime in the country.Instead, prosecutors accused him of partnering with “some of the world’s most prolific narcotics traffickers to build a corrupt and brutally violent empire based on the illegal trafficking of tonnes of cocaine to the United States”.Three months after leaving office, he was extradited to New York and arrested in April 2022 to face federal charges in the US. Hernández was once seen as a strong US ally. During his leadership of Honduras, the country received more than $50m (£39m) in anti-narcotics assistance from the US, as well as additional millions of dollars in security and military aid.In 2019, then-President Donald Trump thanked Hernández for “working with the United States very closely”.Hernández in turn thanked Mr Trump and the American people “for the support they have given us in the firm fight against drug trafficking”.Has Honduras become a ‘narco-state’?Prosecutors later uncovered that Hernández was linked with drug traffickers as far back as 2004, long before he became president, and that he had facilitated the smuggling of around 500 tonnes of cocaine to the US.They said drug traffickers paid him millions of dollars in bribes to allow cocaine to be smuggled from Colombia and Venezuela through Honduras on to the US.In one allegation, prosecutors said that Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán had given Tony Hernández – the ex-president’s younger brother – $1m (£778,450) as a bribe for Juan Orlando Hernández.During his trial, several convicted drug traffickers testified that they had bribed Hernández.Prosecutors also alleged that he had used the drug money to then bribe officials to manipulate Honduras’ 2013 and 2017 presidential elections in his favour. In his denial of the allegations, Hernández claimed that he became a “victim of a vendetta and a conspiracy by organised crime and political enemies”. “I had a policy against all those people because I could not stand them,” Hernández said of drug traffickers when testifying at his own trial. “They did a lot of damage in the country.”His lawyers argued that those who testified against him were doing so for their own gain. Hernández has been held at a Brooklyn jail since his extradition. He will be sentenced at a later date. Hernández is not the first ex-Latin American head of state to be convicted of a drug-related crime in the US. Panama’s Manuel Noriega was convicted on drug trafficking charges in a Miami court in 1992, and Guatemala’s Alfonso Portillo was convicted on money laundering charges in a New York court in 2014. Related TopicsJuan Orlando HernandezHondurasDrugs tradeUnited StatesMore on this storyHonduran ex-leader accused of leading narco-statePublished21 FebruaryFormer Guatemala president sentencedPublished22 May 2014Guatemalan ex-president freed in USPublished26 February 2015Top StoriesArmy’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’Published3 hours agoChris Kaba murder charge police officer named for first timePublished9 hours agoWest Bank violence: ‘My child’s destiny was to get killed’Published3 hours agoFeaturesWhy does International Women’s Day matter?Weekly quiz: Which billionaire hired Rihanna to celebrate a wedding?Singapore sting: How spies listened in on German generalMH370: The families haunted by one of aviation’s greatest mysteriesPride, pilgrims and parades: Africa’s top shotsWhy did the IRA not kill Stakeknife?’I’m really shy’ – The return of Gossip’s Beth DittoHow are the child benefit rules changing?The Iranian female DJs shaking the dance floorElsewhere on the BBCThe ultimate bromanceWatch the masters of satire Peter Cook and Dudley Moore with a look back through the archivesAttributioniPlayerDid one man from Iraq make Norway rich?Meet the man behind Norway’s rise to oil richesAttributionSoundsCan new evidence solve aviation’s greatest mystery?Ten years after the Malaysian Airlines flight disappeared, new technology may explain whyAttributioniPlayerHow Trump’s golf dream turned into a nightmare…His controversial golf development in Aberdeenshire was greenlit with awful consequencesAttributionSoundsMost Read1Fertility clinic licence suspended over concerns2Boy, 11, found driving BMW towing caravan on M13TV star shaken after Jaguar brakes fail during drive4Keegan: ‘I’d have probably punched Ofsted staff’5’Bearman already marked out as potentially a special one’AttributionSport6US says UFO sightings likely secret military tests7Five killed in Gaza aid drop parachute failure – reports8Army’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’9Police investigate ‘care of dead’ at funeral homes10Police officer accused of Chris Kaba murder named

[ad_1] A New York jury found Juan Orlando Hernández guilty of conspiring to import cocaine to the US.

newsinsightplus.com
2.3m
Aberdeenshire
March 8, 2024
0 Comments

BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaFive killed in Gaza aid drop parachute failure – reportsPublished1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, Instagram / ismail_gh2By George BowdenBBC NewsFive people have died after a parachute failed on an aid package dropped by air into Gaza, reports say.An eyewitness and the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said the five were killed on Friday when at least one parachute failed to deploy, the BBC’s US partner CBS News reported.AFP news agency quoted a Gaza doctor as saying five people were killed. The BBC has not independently verified this.It is unclear which air drop was involved in the incident.The US, Jordan, Egypt, France, the Netherlands and Belgium have been dropping aid into Gaza in recent days as concerns about famine among the population grow.Jordanian state TV quoted a source as denying that a Jordanian aircraft was involved in the incident. A US official told CBS an initial review suggested a US air drop was not involved.The UN says a quarter of Gaza’s 2.3m population is on the brink of famine and children are starving to death.A video posted to social media on Friday and verified by BBC News shows aid dropping from a C-17 cargo plane over al-Shati, north of Gaza City, in an area largely cut off from assistance in recent months.While most of the large packages of aid fall with parachutes deployed, one fails to open and falls in a more uncontrolled way.It is difficult to say from the video, a screenshot from which is above, what may have gone wrong. We do not know if this footage captures the incident in which people were reportedly killed.Aid organisations have been critical of the air drops, saying they were a last resort and incapable of meeting the soaring need.On Friday the EU, UK, US and others said they planned to open a sea route to Gaza to deliver aid that could begin operating this weekend. The US has said it will construct a temporary harbour to ship aid directly into Gaza, but US officials have said it will take weeks to make.Western countries have pressed Israel to expand delivery of aid by road, facilitating more routes and opening additional crossings.UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said: “We continue to urge Israel to allow more trucks into Gaza as the fastest way to get aid to those who need it.”Israel denies impeding the entry of aid to Gaza and accuses aid organisations of failing to distribute it.Aid lorries have been entering the south of Gaza through the Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing and the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing. But the north, which was the focus of the first phase of the Israeli ground offensive, has been largely cut off from assistance in recent months.An estimated 300,000 Palestinians are living there with little food or clean water.Last week more than 100 people were killed trying to reach a ground aid convoy amid the growing desperation. Palestinians said most were shot by Israeli troops.The Israeli military, which was overseeing the private aid deliveries, on Friday said its troops did not fire at Palestinians around an aid convoy but at “suspects” nearby who they deemed a threat.Israel’s military launched an air and ground campaign in Gaza after Hamas’s attacks on Israel on 7 October, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 253 others were taken hostage.More than 30,800 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry says.Additional reporting by BBC VerifyRelated TopicsMiddle EastIsrael-Gaza warGazaMore on this storySea corridor to Gaza could open at weekend, EU saysPublished32 minutes agoMore than 100 killed in crowd near Gaza aid convoyPublished7 days agoTop StoriesArmy’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’Published1 hour agoChris Kaba murder charge police officer named for first timePublished7 hours agoWest Bank violence: ‘My child’s destiny was to get killed’Published1 hour agoFeaturesWhy does International Women’s Day matter?Weekly quiz: Which billionaire hired Rihanna to celebrate a wedding?Singapore sting: How spies listened in on German generalMH370: The families haunted by one of aviation’s greatest mysteriesPride, pilgrims and parades: Africa’s top shotsWhy did the IRA not kill Stakeknife?’I’m really shy’ – The return of Gossip’s Beth DittoHow are the child benefit rules changing?The Iranian female DJs shaking the dance floorElsewhere on the BBCThe ultimate bromanceWatch the masters of satire Peter Cook and Dudley Moore with a look back through the archivesAttributioniPlayerDid one man from Iraq make Norway rich?Meet the man behind Norway’s rise to oil richesAttributionSoundsCan new evidence solve aviation’s greatest mystery?Ten years after the Malaysian Airlines flight disappeared, new technology may explain whyAttributioniPlayerHow Trump’s golf dream turned into a nightmare…His controversial golf development in Aberdeenshire was greenlit with awful consequencesAttributionSoundsMost Read1Boy, 11, found driving BMW towing caravan on M12US says UFO sightings likely secret military tests3Keegan: ‘I’d have probably punched Ofsted staff’4Five killed in Gaza aid drop parachute failure – reports5’Bearman already marked out as potentially a special one’AttributionSport6Army’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’7Police investigate ‘care of dead’ at funeral homes8What the world made of Biden’s big speech9Constance Marten: I carried baby’s body in a bag10Police officer accused of Chris Kaba murder named

[ad_1] The US, Jordan, Egypt, France, the Netherlands and Belgium have been dropping aid into Gaza.

newsinsightplus.com
1945.The
1960s
March 8, 2024
0 Comments

BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaUS says UFO sightings likely secret military testsPublished8 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Mike WendlingBBC NewsA spike in UFO sightings in the 1960s was likely caused by tests of advanced US spy planes and space technology, a Pentagon report has concluded. Officials also said there was “no evidence” that the US government had encountered alien life. Most sightings of UFOs were ordinary objects from Earth, according to the report submitted to Congress on Friday.But Pentagon officials accepted that their research won’t quell popular beliefs about alien guests. “The proliferation of television programmes, books, movies, and the vast amount of internet and social media content centred on UAP-related topics most likely has influenced the public conversation on this topic, and reinforced these beliefs within some sections of the population,” it said. The report is part of a broad public attempt by the US government to examine UFOs – or as officials call them, “unidentified anomalous phenomena” (UAP).The effort has included public meetings with Nasa officials and hearings in Congress.Issued by the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), the report noted that public opinion has probably been swayed by pop culture.A “particularly persistent narrative”, the researchers said, is that the government has recovered spacecraft and alien remains and has conspired to keep its alien research activities secret. A Pentagon spokesperson said that officials had approached the report in an open-minded way, but had simply found no evidence of extra-terrestrial visitors. “All investigative efforts, at all levels of classification, concluded that most sightings were ordinary objects and phenomena and the result of misidentification,” Maj Gen Pat Ryder told reporters. According to a 2021 Gallup poll, just over 40% of Americans think alien spacecraft have visited Earth, a number that increased from 33% in just two years. The AARO examined archives and classified files and reviewed all official government investigations dating back to 1945.The researchers hunted down rumours about alien spacecraft and found, for instance, that an alleged 1961 leaked memo about UFOs was inauthentic, and that an “alien spacecraft” sample collected by a UAP investigating organisation was not made of an otherworldly material but instead was made mostly of magnesium, zinc and bismuth.The AARO has promised to issue a further report examining more recent sightings and rumours. This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: Whistleblower claims non-human bodies were recovered from UFO crash siteRelated TopicsUFOsExtraterrestrial lifeUnited StatesMore on this storyAliens bring a divided US Congress togetherPublished26 July 2023What we learned from Nasa’s new UFO reportPublished14 September 2023Five revelations from Nasa’s public UFO meetingPublished1 June 2023Top StoriesArmy’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’Published36 minutes agoChris Kaba murder charge police officer named for first timePublished6 hours agoWest Bank violence: ‘My child’s destiny was to get killed’Published30 minutes agoFeaturesWhy does International Women’s Day matter?Weekly quiz: Which billionaire hired Rihanna to celebrate a wedding?Singapore sting: How spies listened in on German generalMH370: The families haunted by one of aviation’s greatest mysteriesPride, pilgrims and parades: Africa’s top shotsWhy did the IRA not kill Stakeknife?’I’m really shy’ – The return of Gossip’s Beth DittoHow are the child benefit rules changing?The Iranian female DJs shaking the dance floorElsewhere on the BBCThe ultimate bromanceWatch the masters of satire Peter Cook and Dudley Moore with a look back through the archivesAttributioniPlayerDid one man from Iraq make Norway rich?Meet the man behind Norway’s rise to oil richesAttributionSoundsCan new evidence solve aviation’s greatest mystery?Ten years after the Malaysian Airlines flight disappeared, new technology may explain whyAttributioniPlayerHow Trump’s golf dream turned into a nightmare…His controversial golf development in Aberdeenshire was greenlit with awful consequencesAttributionSoundsMost Read1Boy, 11, found driving BMW towing caravan on M12US says UFO sightings likely secret military tests3Keegan: ‘I’d have probably punched Ofsted staff’4’Bearman already marked out as potentially a special one’AttributionSport5Army’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’6Constance Marten: I carried baby’s body in a bag7Police officer accused of Chris Kaba murder named8Rangers fan dies in Lisbon after Europa League match9Multiple failings led to man’s death in knife rampage10Theresa May to stand down as MP at next election

[ad_1] “The proliferation of television programmes, books, movies, and the vast amount of internet and social media content centred on UAP-related topics most likely has influenced the public conversation on…

newsinsightplus.com
Aberdeenshire
absolutely
March 8, 2024
0 Comments

BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaIsrael abused Gaza war detainees, UN report allegesPublished1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, ReutersImage caption, Many Palestinians were apprehended in northern Gaza as they sought shelter, the report saidBy Lyse DoucetChief international correspondentAn internal UN report seen by the BBC has described widespread abuse of Palestinians who were captured and interrogated at makeshift Israeli detention centres during the ongoing war in Gaza.The draft document compiled by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa), the main UN agency supporting Palestinians, includes detailed testimony from detainees who describe an extensive range of ill-treatment. They include being stripped and beaten, being forced into cages and attacked by dogs, forced into stress positions for extended periods, and subjected to “blunt force trauma” including the butts of guns and boots, resulting in some cases in “broken ribs, separated shoulders and lasting injuries”.It says both men and women reported “threats and incidents of sexual violence and harassment” including inappropriate touching of women and beatings to men’s genitals.In a statement provided to the BBC, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said: “The mistreatment of detainees during their time in detention or whilst under interrogation violates IDF values and contravenes IDF and is therefore absolutely prohibited.”It rejected specific allegations including the denial of access to water, medical care and bedding. The IDF also said that claims regarding sexual abuse were “another cynical attempt to create false equivalency with the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war by Hamas”.UN finds ‘convincing information’ of sexual violence against hostagesIn earlier statements to the New York Times and Guardian newspapers, the Israeli military said it was aware of deaths in detention, including those with pre-existing illnesses and wounds, and said every death was being investigated.Unrwa’s accounts tally with other reports of abuse in Israeli detention centres recently published by Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups as well as separate UN investigations.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, A detainee shows injuries to his wrists after his release back into GazaThis latest UN report, which has not been published yet, was based on interviews with more than 100 detainees, part of a group of about 1,000 detainees Unrwa was able to document since December after they were freed from three Israeli military sites. They included people – both male and female – between the ages of six and 82, including 29 children.The agency explains that this information was obtained during its role co-ordinating humanitarian aid at the Kerem Shalom crossing point between Gaza and Israel where the IDF has been releasing detainees. Information was also said to have been provided “independently and voluntarily” by Palestinians released from detention.In a comment sent to the BBC it described the allegations as “shocking but unsurprising”.The report said many Palestinians were apprehended in northern Gaza as they took refuge in hospitals or schools or as they tried to flee south to find shelter. Others were Gazans with work permits to enter Israel. They were stranded in Israel when war broke out and were later detained.Unrwa estimates that more than 4,000 Palestinians have been rounded up in Gaza since the start of hostilities sparked by the Hamas attack on 7 October when nearly 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, were killed, and more than 250 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage. In the war which followed, now in its fifth month, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.Unrwa itself has been the focus of inquiry during this war. Israel has repeatedly accused it of supporting Hamas and hiring its members.The UN agency, whose 13,000 staff are regarded as the backbone of humanitarian operations in Gaza, has denied the charges. But it immediately terminated the contracts of employees accused in an Israeli document of playing a part in the 7 October attacks. Key UN Gaza aid agency runs into diplomatic stormThe claims, also being investigated by the UN, led nearly 20 countries and institutions to suspend funding. But the EU recently resumed its support and others are reportedly preparing to do so.”Unrwa is facing a deliberate and concerted campaign to undermine its operations, and ultimately end them,” Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini recently told a special meeting of the UN General Assembly amid calls in Israel for the agency to be dismantled.In the introduction to its internal report, Unrwa highlights that it is not a comprehensive account of all the issues regarding detentions during the war, including hostages held by Hamas, or other concerns regarding the treatment of hostages in Gaza by Palestinian armed groups.Related TopicsIsrael-Gaza warIsraelMore on this storyUN finds ‘convincing information’ of sexual violence against hostagesPublished3 days agoTop StoriesArmy’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’Published29 minutes agoChris Kaba murder charge police officer named for first timePublished4 hours agoTheresa May to stand down as MP at next electionPublished3 hours agoFeaturesWhy does International Women’s Day matter?Weekly quiz: Which billionaire hired Rihanna to celebrate a wedding?Singapore sting: How spies listened in on German generalMH370: The families haunted by one of aviation’s greatest mysteriesPride, pilgrims and parades: Africa’s top shotsWhy did the IRA not kill Stakeknife?’I’m really shy’ – The return of Gossip’s Beth DittoHow are the child benefit rules changing?The Iranian female DJs shaking the dance floorElsewhere on the BBCThe ultimate bromanceWatch the masters of satire Peter Cook and Dudley Moore with a look back through the archivesAttributioniPlayerDid one man from Iraq make Norway rich?Meet the man behind Norway’s rise to oil richesAttributionSoundsCan new evidence solve aviation’s greatest mystery?Ten years after the Malaysian Airlines flight disappeared, new technology may explain whyAttributioniPlayerHow Trump’s golf dream turned into a nightmare…His controversial golf development in Aberdeenshire was greenlit with awful consequencesAttributionSoundsMost Read1Boy, 11, found driving BMW towing caravan on M12Keegan: ‘I’d have probably punched Ofsted staff’3’Bearman already marked out as potentially a special one’AttributionSport4Army’s top IRA spy ‘cost more lives than he saved’5Constance Marten: I carried baby’s body in a bag6Plan to return Castaway island to its wild state7Police officer accused of Chris Kaba murder named8Rangers fan dies in Lisbon after Europa League match9Multiple failings led to man’s death in knife rampage10Theresa May to stand down as MP at next election

[ad_1] This latest UN report, which has not been published yet, was based on interviews with more than 100 detainees, part of a group of about 1,000 detainees Unrwa was…