Hamas Releases 3 Israeli Hostages In Exchange For 369 Palestinian Prisoners
GAZA, Feb 15: The release of three Israeli hostages, Israeli-Argentine Yair Horn, Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, and Israeli-Russian Sasha Troufanov, happened on Saturday, following successful mediation efforts by Egyptian and Qatari officials.
The hostages, who were seized by Hamas militants during an attack on October 7, 2023, were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which then transported them to Israeli forces. The military has confirmed that the freed hostages are now back in Israel.
The release is part of a prisoner swap agreement that will see 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees freed in exchange for the three Israeli hostages. The agreement is a significant development in the ongoing efforts to maintain a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The three hostages, who were held captive for several months, were seen being handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza's southern city of Khan Yunis. They were reportedly in good health and were seen clutching gift bags and certificates marking the end of their captivity.
However, the situation remains volatile, with tensions running high between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military has been accused of blocking aid from entering Gaza, which has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the region. Hamas has threatened to hold off on releasing more hostages if Israel fails to meet its aid obligations.
The release of the three hostages brings the total number of hostages released since the ceasefire began to 19. However, many more hostages remain in captivity, and efforts are ongoing to secure their release.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with thousands of people left homeless and without access to basic necessities like food, water, and electricity. The international community has called for an immediate end to the violence and for all parties to work towards a lasting ceasefire.
As the situation continues to unfold, all eyes are on the release of the remaining hostages and the maintenance of the ceasefire.
'1,400 Killed In 45 Days': UN On 'Crimes Against Humanity' By Sheikh Hasina Government
NEW DELHI, Feb 13: Bangladesh's former government was behind systematic attacks and killings of protesters as it tried to hold onto power last year, the UN said on Wednesday, warning that the abuses could amount to "crimes against humanity".
Before Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was toppled in a student-led revolution last August, her government cracked down on protesters and others, including by "hundreds of extrajudicial killings", the United Nations said.
The UN rights office (OHCHR) said it had "reasonable grounds to believe that the crimes against humanity of murder, torture, imprisonment and infliction of other inhumane acts have taken place".
These alleged crimes committed by the government, along with violent elements of Hasina's Awami League party and the Bangladeshi security and intelligence services, were part of "a widespread and systematic attack against protesters and other civilians", OHCHR's report into the violence said.
Hasina, 77, who fled into exile in neighbouring India, has already defied an arrest warrant to face trial in Bangladesh for crimes against humanity.
Asked about Hasina's personal culpability, UN rights chief Volker Turk told reporters that his office "found reasonable grounds to believe that indeed the top echelons of the previous government were aware, and in fact were involved in... very serious violations".
Bangladesh's interim leader Mohammed Yunus, who had asked the UN rights office to launch its fact-finding mission, welcomed the report, insisting that he wanted to transform Bangladesh "into a country in which all its people can live in security and dignity".
The UN investigation examined events in Bangladesh between July 1 and August 15 last year, relying on hundreds of interviews with victims, witnesses and others, and on photos, videos and other documents.
The team determined that security forces had supported Hasina's government throughout the unrest, which began as protests against civil service job quotas and then escalated into wider calls for her to stand down.
OHCHR estimated that "as many as 1,400 people may have been killed" over the 45-day period, the vast majority of them "shot by Bangladesh's security forces".
Children made up 12 to 13 percent of those killed, it said.
The overall death toll given is far higher than the most recent estimate by Bangladesh's interim government of 834 people killed.
"The brutal response was a calculated and well-coordinated strategy by the former government to hold onto power in the face of mass opposition," Turk said.
He pointed to findings of "hundreds of extrajudicial killings, extensive arbitrary arrest and detention and torture and ill treatment", decrying "a disturbing picture of rampant state violence and targeted killings".
The rights office also found indications of widespread gender-based violence and the abuse and killing of children.
On the other side, the report highlighted "lynchings and other serious retaliatory violence" against police and Awami league officials or supporters.
Bangladeshi rights group Odhikar said that a dozen people had died in detention since Hasina's ousting.
Asked about these cases, Turk said his office had only examined the situation up to mid-August.
He hailed the interim government's cooperation and expressed commitment to reforms, but warned of "major challenges and deficiencies in the current legal system".
Rory Mungoven, head of OHCHR's Asia-Pacific section, said the office was prepared to cooperate with Bangladesh's judiciary to help ensure justice, but only if the process meets international fair trial standards.
The fact that Bangladesh allows capital punishment also posed a problem, he said.
Turk said that the country needed "a comprehensive process of truth-telling, healing and accountability, and to redress the legacy of serious human rights violations and ensure they can never happen again".
Modi, Macron discuss 'Strategic partnership, global affairs, terrorism’
PARIS, Feb 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed their shared vision for bilateral cooperation and international partnership in a joint statement following the former's two-day trip to France. The two leaders commended the progress achieved in their bilateral cooperation and expressed their commitment to accelerating it further.
During their bilateral talks, the joint statement reads, the two leaders discussed several vexed topics, including the Indo-Pacific and the Russia-Ukraine war. They also discussed strategic partnership and cooperation in areas like defence, nuclear energy, and space. They also discussed collaboration in the fields of technology and innovation.
"The talks covered all aspects of the India-France strategic partnership. The two leaders reviewed cooperation in the strategic areas of Defence, Civil Nuclear Energy and Space. They also discussed ways to strengthen collaboration in the fields of Technology and Innovation.
This area of partnership assumes greater salience in the backdrop of the just concluded AI Action Summit and the upcoming India-France Year of Innovation in 2026. The leaders also called for enhancing trade and investment ties and in this regard welcomed the report of the 14th India- France CEOs Forum," said the Indian government's statement.
On Tuesday, Modi and Macron flew together from Paris to Marseille in the French Presidential Aircraft.
They committed to further deepen engagement in the Indo-Pacific and global forums and initiatives.
Modi touches upon 'job loss' fear, re-skilling, deepfakes at AI Summit in France
PARIS, Feb 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for investment in skilling and re-skilling people for an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven future.
Addressing the AI Action Summit at the Grand Palais in Paris, the prime minister said,"Loss of jobs is AI's most feared disruption, but history has shown that work does not disappear due to technology, only its nature changes. We need to invest in skilling and re-skilling our people for an AI-driven future."
Modi is co-chairing the AI Action Summit with French president Emmanuel Macron.
“We must develop open source systems that enhance trust and transparency. We must build quality data centres free from biases, we must democratize technology and create people centre applications. We must address concerns related to cyber security, disinformation and deepfakes,” Modi said.
“We must also ensure that technology is rooted in local ecosystems for it to be effective and useful. Loss of jobs is AI's most feared disruption, but history has shown that work does not disappear due to technology, only its nature changes. We need to invest in skilling and re-skilling our people for an AI-driven future,” the prime minister added.
“AI is developing at an unprecedented scale and speed and being adapted and deployed even faster. There is also a deep interdependence across borders. Therefore, there is a need for collective global efforts to establish governance and standards that upload our shared values, address risks, and build trust,” Modi added.
Modi in Paris for AI Summit, bilateral talks with Macron
PARIS, Feb 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Paris on Monday to co-chair the AI Action Summit and hold bilateral talks with French president Emmanuel Macron.
“Over the next few days, I will be in France and USA to take part in various programmes. In France, I will be taking part in the AI Action Summit, where India is the co-chair. I will be holding talks with President @EmmanuelMacron towards strengthening India-France relations. We will also be going to Marseille to inaugurate a Consulate there,” the prime minister posted on X ahead of his departure.
The prime minister will attend a dinner hosted by Macron at the Élysée Palace, which is likely to be attended by a large number of CEOs from the tech domain along with other distinguished invitees to the summit.
On February 11, the prime minister will co-chair the AI Action Summit, along with Macron.
He will also hold discussions in both restricted and delegation formats and address the India-France CEO's Forum.
Hamas says it is postponing next hostage release, claiming Israel has broken terms of deal
GAZA, Feb 10: Hamas has said the next hostage release scheduled to take place in Gaza on Saturday will be postponed, accusing Israel of breaking the ceasefire deal.
In a post on X, Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, said that the handover of the prisoners “who were scheduled to be released next Saturday … will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and compensates for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively.”
He added: “We affirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation commits to them.”
In response to Hamas’ announcement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he has instructed the country’s military to “prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza.”
The defense minister described Hamas’ move as a “complete violation of the ceasefire agreement and the deal to release the hostages.”
Israel’s far-right former minister of national security, Itamar Ben Gvir, said Israel should respond with a “massive attack on Gaza.”
“Hamas’ announcement must have one real-life response: a massive attack on Gaza, from the air and land, alongside a complete halt to humanitarian aid to the Strip, including electricity, fuel and water, and including the bombing of aid packages that have already been brought in and are in Hamas’ hands in Gaza,” Ben Gvir, leader of the Jewish Power party, said in a Monday statement.
Hamas and Israel have each accused the other of violating the agreement throughout the first phase of the deal, raising questions about whether the ceasefire that took more than 15 months to reach would hold.
UK's crackdown on illegal immigrant workers hits Indian restaurants
LONDON, Feb 10: The crackdown in the UK against illegal immigrants has extended to Indian restaurants, nail bars, convenience stores and car washes which employ such individuals.
The Home Office described the action as a UK-wide blitz on illegal working in the country. Secretary Yvette Cooper said her department’s Immigration Enforcement teams raided 828 premises in January, a 48% increase year-on-year. 609 people were arrested, marking a 73 per cent increase from the previous year.
The department said that a significant action was taken against restaurants, takeaways and cafes as well as in the food, drink and tobacco industry. Seven individuals were arrested from an Indian restaurant in Humberside, northern England.
The home office also stressed that the teams were taking action against illegal working conditions in all sectors. “The immigration rules must be respected and enforced. For far too long, employers have been able to take on and exploit illegal migrants and too many people have been able to arrive and work illegally with no enforcement action ever taken,” Cooper said.
“Not only does this create a dangerous draw for people to risk their lives by crossing the Channel in a small boat, but it results in the abuse of vulnerable people, the immigration system, and our economy,” she added.
The Labour Party government, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, will table the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill for a second reading in the country's Parliament this week. The bill aims to “smash the criminal gangs” that the government accuses of undermining border security.
Putin ‘wants to see people stop dying’ in Ukraine war, says Trump after tele conversation
WASHINGTON DC, Feb 9: President Trump has spoken to Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the phone to try to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war, he said in an interview aboard Air Force One Friday.
“I’d better not say,” said Trump when asked how many times the two leaders have spoken.
But he believes Putin “does care” about the killing on the battlefield.
“He wants to see people stop dying,” said Trump.
“All those dead people. Young, young, beautiful people. They’re like your kids, two million of them – and for no reason.”
The three-year-old war “never would have happened” if he had been president in 2022, Trump asserted.
“I always had a good relationship with Putin,” he said, unlike his predecessor.
“Biden was an embarrassment to our nation. A complete embarrassment.”
Trump said he has a concrete plan to end the war.
“I hope it’s fast. Every day people are dying. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing.”
Addressing National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who joined him in his study aboard Air Force One Friday night, the president said: “Let’s get these meetings going. They want to meet. Every day people are dying. Young handsome soldiers are being killed. Young men, like my sons. On both sides. All over the battlefield.”
Vice President Vance will meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference next week.
Trump has said he wants to strike a $500 million deal with Zelensky to access rare-earth minerals and gas in Ukraine in exchange for security guarantees in any potential peace settlement.
Hamas parades 3 frail hostages in Gaza before release, images shock Israelis
TEL AVIV, Feb 8: Hamas on Saturday released three more Israeli hostages, after nearly 500 days of captivity, to the humanitarian aid organisation Red Cross. The three hostages -- Eli Sharabi, Or Levi and Ohad Ben Ami -- were released as part of the ongoing ceasefire deal with Israel.
However, their frail and emaciated condition drew widespread condemnation from the global community.
Soon after their release, the international media highlighted the thin and frail images of the Israeli nationals, who were reportedly in a worse state as compared to the 18 hostages freed last month.
Reacting to the visuals of the emaciated Israeli hostages being paraded on a stage in Gaza, an infuriated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "We will not gloss over the shocking scenes that we saw today."
Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi were abducted by terror group Hamas from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. Eli Sharabi's wife and children were both killed in the infamous October 7 attack.
Meanwhile, Hamas prisoners' office said that Israel would free 183 hostages in return as part of the prisoner-hostage swap. Out of the 183 prisoners, 18 were sentenced to life.
Trudeau says Trump’s intent to make Canada US’s 51st state is a ‘real thing’
TORONTO, Feb 8: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that US President Donald Trump’s intent to make Canada America’s 51st state maybe a “real thing”.
According to reports in Canadian media, while hosting the Canada-US Economic Summit in Toronto on Friday, Trudeau said, “I suggest that not only does the Trump Administration know how many critical minerals we have but that may even be why they keep talking about absorbing us and making us the 51st state. They’re very aware of our resources, of what we have and they very much want to be able to benefit from those.”
“But Mr Trump has it in mind that one of the easiest ways of doing that is absorbing our country. And it is a real thing,” he added.
That meeting was held as Ottawa prepares for the March 4 date on which Trump is expected to decide whether to levy a 25% tariff on imports from Canada.
Soon as his election in November, Trump had accused Canada of being responsible for a flow of illegal immigrants and the deadly drug fentanyl into the US.
While Trump announced the tariffs would be imposed on February 4, that deadline was moved by 30 days after the Trudeau government made several concessions, including the appointment of a fentanyl czar.
In Bold Protest, Naked Iranian Woman Jumps On Police Car
TEHRAN, Feb 6: A daring protest in Iran's second-largest city, Mashhad, has gone viral after a woman was filmed stripping naked and jumping onto a police car. The shocking footage, shared on social media, shows the woman yelling at armed officers as she stands on the hood of the car in the crowded streets.
She then climbs onto the windshield, making a defiant gesture. Despite attempts by officers to get her down, she refuses to move, even as one officer reaches into the vehicle, reportedly for a weapon.
A male officer, armed with an automatic weapon, appears to hesitate to detain the woman due to her nakedness, as reported by Euronews.
While the exact motivation behind her actions is unclear, reports on social media suggest that she was protesting Iran's increasingly oppressive clothing laws for women. The woman's bold protest has sparked a mix of reactions, with some speculating about her mental health and others hailing her as a symbol of resistance against the country's oppressive clothing laws for women.
The incident is part of a larger movement in Iran, where women are pushing back against the strict dress code enforced by the morality police. Earlier, a woman stripped to her underwear at Tehran University, sparking widespread debate and discussion on social media.
After US, Israel announces departure from ‘anti-semitic’ UN Human Rights Council
TEL AVIV, Feb 6: A day after President Donald Trump announced the United States’ withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Israel declared it would follow suit. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced the decision on Wednesday, stating, “Israel joins the United States and will not participate in the UNHRC.”
Sa’ar accused the UNHRC of protecting human rights violators while unfairly targeting Israel. “The UNHRC has traditionally protected human rights abusers by allowing them to hide from scrutiny, and instead obsessively demonizes the one democracy in the Middle East – Israel,” he wrote in the post on X.
He further claimed that Israel had been subjected to over 100 condemnatory resolutions under the UNHRC, making up more than 20 per cent of all resolutions passed by the body. “Israel will not accept this discrimination any longer!” he added.
Later, in another post on X, he announced that Israel has informed the United Nations Human Rights Council that it will follow the United States in withdrawing its participation.
“The decision was reached in light of the ongoing and unrelenting institutional bias against Israel in the Human Rights Council, which has been persistent since its inception in 2006,” Sa’ar said in a letter to UNHRC President Jorg Lauber which he posted on X.
The announcement coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the US, where he attended a press conference with President Trump in Washington.
On Tuesday, Trump declared that the US was withdrawing from both the UNHRC and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which he accused of funding Hamas.
“I’m also pleased to announce that this afternoon the United States withdrew from the anti-Semitic UN Human Rights Council and ended all of the support for the UN Relief and Works Agency, which funneled money to Hamas and which was very disloyal to humanity,” Trump stated.
He also announced the reinstatement of his “maximum pressure” policy on Iran, vowing to impose strict sanctions to cut Iranian oil exports to zero and weaken Tehran’s ability to fund terrorism.
Argentina To Pull Out Of WHO After Trump Exit Over 'Deep Differences'
BUENOS AIRES, Feb 5: Argentina will pull out of the World Health Organization, President Javier Milei's office said Wednesday, following in the footsteps of the United States which announced its exit from the UN agency last month.
Milei's decision was based on "deep differences regarding health management especially during the (Covid-19) pandemic," spokesman Manuel Adorni told reporters, adding Argentina would not "allow an international body to interfere in our sovereignty."
The measure also gave Argentina "greater flexibility to implement policies adapted to the context" locally, while ensuring "greater availability of resources," he said.
Self-declared "anarcho-capitalist" Milei is an avowed fan of US President Donald Trump, who signed an order within hours of his January 20 inauguration for the United States to withdraw from the WHO, which he has also criticized for its handling of the pandemic.
Washington was the biggest contributor to the Geneva-based organization, which Trump claimed had "ripped us off," and the US withdrawal could leave global health initiatives short of funding.
Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has gutted public spending, having vowed to maintain a zero budget deficit after years of overspending.
His austerity measures are estimated to have tipped millions more people into poverty, but the country also recorded its biggest-ever trade surplus in 2024 -- partly due to an import and spending slump.
Milei was the first foreign leader to visit Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Florida estate after the Republican's November US election victory.
10, Including Suspect, Dead In Sweden School Shooting: Police
STOCKHOLM, Feb 4: Around 10 people were killed in a shooting at an education centre in central Sweden on Tuesday, including the suspected assailant, police officials said.
The shooting was the deadliest school attack in the country's history.
"Around 10 people have been killed today," Orebro police chief Roberto Eid Forest told reporters, adding that police could "not be more specific about the number due to the large number of wounded".
He provided no details about the number of wounded.
"This is a terrible event. This is exceptional, a nightmare," Forest said.
Police did not disclose any information about the identity or ages of the dead, nor whether they were students or teachers at the Campus Risbergska secondary school for young adults.
Several media reported the suspected gunman turned his gun on himself but police would not confirm those reports.
"The suspected assailant is not known to police. He has no connection to any gang," Forest said, referring to the surge in deadly shootings and bombings linked to gang violence that have plagued Sweden in recent years.
"We don't expect any other attacks," Forest said.
Canada announces $155B tariff package in response to unjustified U.S. tariffs
OTTAWA, Feb 2: The Canadian Government is moving forward with 25 per cent tariffs on $155 billion worth of goods in response to the unjustified and unreasonable tariffs imposed by the United States (U.S.) on Canadian goods.
These countermeasures have one goal: to protect and defend Canada’s interests, consumers, workers, and businesses.
The first phase of our response will include tariffs on $30 billion in goods imported from the U.S., effective February 4, 2025, when the U.S tariffs are applied. The list includes products such as orange juice, peanut butter, wine, spirits, beer, coffee, appliances, apparel, footwear, motorcycles, cosmetics, and pulp and paper. A detailed list of these goods will be made available shortly.
Canadian Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs LeBlanc also announced that the government intends to impose tariffs on an additional list of imported U.S. goods worth $125 billion.
A full list of these goods will be made available for a 21-day public comment period prior to implementation, and will include products such as passenger vehicles and trucks, including electric vehicles, steel and aluminum products, certain fruits and vegetables, aerospace products, beef, pork, dairy, trucks and buses, recreational vehicles, and recreational boats.
In addition to this initial response, Minister LeBlanc and Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, reiterated that all options remain on the table as the government considers additional measures, including non-tariff options, should the U.S. continue to apply unjustified tariffs on Canada.
Less than 1 per cent of the fentanyl and illegal crossings into the United States come from Canada. We will not stand idly by when our nation is being needlessly and unfairly targeted. The government will defend Canadian interests and jobs. We stand ready to support affected workers and businesses.
The U.S. administration’s decision to impose tariffs will have devastating consequences for the American economy and people. Tariffs will upend production at U.S. auto assembly plants and oil refineries, raise costs for American consumers—at gas pumps and grocery stores—and put American prosperity at risk.
The government is also taking steps to mitigate the impact of its tariff countermeasures on Canadian workers and businesses by establishing a remission process to consider requests for exceptional relief from the tariffs imposed as part of Canada’s immediate response, as well as any future tariff actions. More details about the framework and process will be announced in the coming days.
The government continues to work closely with provincial and territorial governments, as well as business, labour, and other leaders to advance a robust Team Canada response, and to advocate with U.S. decision-makers on behalf of all Canadians to safeguard and strengthen Canada’s economy. |