Author: ALJAZEERA

Istanbul, Turkey – As nationwide local elections approach on March 31, there are concerns in Turkey about the growing threat of disinformation and fake media created through artificial intelligence. Earlier this year, a video spread across social media purportedly showing Istanbul’s opposition mayor praising President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Ekrem Imamoglu, of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), is seen in the video commending the “great steps” taken in public transport projects when the AK Party controlled Istanbul. While the video was widely discredited due to the substance of Imamoglu’s “comments”, it raised fears about…

Seoul Bus Labor Union agrees to 4.48 percent wage rise to return to work.Thousands of bus drivers in South Korea’s capital of Seoul have returned to work hours after launching a strike that caused chaos for rush-hour commuters The Seoul Bus Labor Union on Thursday agreed to a 4.48 percent wage rise plus 650,000 won ($480) in holiday bonuses, the Seoul city government said, nearly 12 hours after the industrial action disrupted almost all bus routes in the capital. The breakthrough cleared the way for the resumption of bus services ahead of the evening rush hour. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon…

Annelle Sheline, a Middle East analyst who promoted human rights on behalf of the United States government, has become the latest staffer at the US Department of State to leave her post in opposition to President Joe Biden’s Israel policy. Sheline announced her resignation in an interview with the Washington Post on Wednesday, as the official death toll in Gaza reached 32,490 since October 7 and the World Food Programme has warned that famine in the enclave is imminent. “I wasn’t able to really do my job any more,” Sheline told the newspaper. “Trying to advocate for human rights just…

S&P 500 rises 0.9 percent as major players including Apple and Tesla see gains.The US stock market has hit a record high after a string of downbeat trading sessions. All three leading stock indexes rose on Wednesday, ending a three-day lull. The S&P 500, which tracks the performance of 500 of the largest US companies, finished up 0.9 percent on Wednesday, surpassing last week’s record. The rise leaves the benchmark index up more than 10 percent so far in 2024. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite rose 1.22 percent and 0.51 percent, respectively. Among the big corporate players,…

Special Rapporteur’s report details planned indiscriminate attacks on civilians.The UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories has accused Israel of carrying out genocidal acts in Gaza in a report. How does the report reflect the reality on the ground? Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom Guests: Mustafa Barghouti – Secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative. Yousef Hammash – Gaza advocacy officer at The Norwegian Refugee Council. Geoffrey Nice – Human rights lawyer who prosecuted former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic. Source link

blinking-dotLive updatesLive updates, Exclusive footage shows the unarmed Palestinian men being targeted and killed and then buried by an Israeli army bulldozer as Gaza carnage continues. Source link

Taipei, Taiwan – Chinese President Xi Jinping met with American business leaders and academics at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, state media has reported, as he tries to woo foreign investment back to China after a challenging few years for the world’s second-largest economy. The meeting on Wednesday included Evan Greenberg, the chief executive of the US insurance company Chubb, as well as Stephen Orlins, the president of the National Committee on US-China Relations, and Craig Allen, the president of the US-China Business Council. Like many Chinese state functions, the event was highly choreographed, with footage showing attendees arranged…

Francesca Albanese had stated there were clear indications Israel has violated three acts in the UN Genocide Convention.A United Nations expert who published a report saying there were reasonable grounds to believe Israel has committed genocide in its war on Gaza says she has received threats throughout her mandate. Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, presented a report entitled “Anatomy of a Genocide” to the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, which Israel said it “utterly rejects”. In the report, Albanese said there are clear indications that Israel has violated three…

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Entrepreneur Jehan Abu Bakar is fuming that she will soon have to pay more in airport fees whenever she flies from her home in Malaysia to other countries in Southeast Asia. Abu Bakar, the founder of the organic soap company LeStarry Natural, said any increases should be commensurate with the facilities provided but Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)’s services, from the WiFi to the immigration procedures, are lacking. “Baggage clearance that takes forever is also an issue. More immigration counters should be opened to reduce long waits in queue – this is also part of the…

Washington, DC – Israel has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza, displaced more than 80 percent of the population, destroyed large parts of the territory and imposed a suffocating blockade, bringing the enclave to the verge of famine. But nearly six months into the war, the United States says it has not determined that Israel has violated international humanitarian law. Washington’s assertion, made public this week as part of an oversight process on US weapons transfers to allies, has spurred bewilderment and condemnation from human rights groups. “It’s absurd,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, director of Democracy for the Arab World…