Author: ALJAZEERA

Bashar Murad said he wants to use his song to ‘illustrate’ the difficulties Palestinians face in order to be heard.Palestinian pop singer Bashar Murad is hoping to represent Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest in May and bring “a Palestinian voice to the main stage”. Iceland is expected to pick its contestant on Saturday for the annual song competition, which is being held in the Swedish city of Malmo. Murad is competing in the national final with a song co-written by Einar Stefansson of the Icelandic band Hatari, known for raising a banner showing Palestinian flags during the 2019 Eurovision…

Tunis, Tunisia – News that an Italian court had blocked the country’s vessels from returning refugees and migrants to Libya was welcomed by the tens of refugees and migrants camped in a crowded passage outside the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Tunis. Many of those outside the IOM that day had escaped from Libya and had first-hand knowledge of the abuse that people face there. Armed gangs and militias have governed much of Libya since it emerged from the 2011 revolution that overthrew long-term dictator Muammar Gaddafi. As the militias’ influence has grown, so too has their control over…

NewsFeedA 2-month-old Palestinian boy has died from severe malnutrition after Israel’s starvation of the Gaza Strip left his parents unable to provide him with milk.Published On 27 Feb 202427 Feb 2024 Source link

London, United Kingdom – When the United Kingdom and the United States launched joint attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen in January, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it was intended as a “limited, single action”. Yet since then, there have been several more rounds of strikes. With the Houthis pledging to continue their campaign to disrupt shipping in the Red Sea, it seems likely there will be more. Britain is home to a small but significant Yemeni diaspora community of about 80,000 people. The first Yemenis arrived in the northern city of Liverpool in the early 1900s – they…

Two human rights groups have accused Israel of further limiting humanitarian aid to Gaza despite an order from the United Nations’ top court. Exactly one month ago, The International Court of Justice in The Hague said Israel must do everything to prevent genocidal acts in the besieged territory. Tel Aviv must also take “immediate and effective measures” for aid provision, the ICJ added. But Israeli authorities have “failed to take even the bare minimum steps to comply” with the ICJ ruling issued on January 26, Amnesty International has claimed. Both Amnesty and Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday that…

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says web giants have failed to keep kids safe online.Canada has unveiled draft legislation that would force tech platforms to quickly remove online content deemed harmful, including material that sexualises children and foments hate. The Online Harms Act, introduced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government on Monday, would make tech companies responsible for tackling seven categories of harmful content and increase criminal penalties for spreading hate online. Under the legislation, Canadians would be able to request the removal of content within 24 hours, subject to a review process, and file complaints against people spreading hateful…

Hamas is studying a framework proposal put forward by Israel, the United States, Qatar and Egypt in Paris for a truce and prisoner exchange in Gaza. The Palestinian group has yet to officially comment on the proposal, which was hammered out several days ago in the French capital following mediated negotiations. US President Joe Biden has suggested a halt in the fighting could come within a week, but for now, the conflict, which has killed nearly 30,000 in the enclave, persists, with combat continuing and much of the 2.3 million population suffering from hunger. The proposal envisages a pause in…

Conservative justices express concerns about Florida and Texas laws that curb platforms’ content moderation policies.The United States Supreme Court has cast doubt on a conservative push to crack down on the alleged liberal bias of social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. In arguments at the top court on Monday, several justices expressed reservations about laws in Republican-led states that aim to curb Big Tech’s alleged censorship of right-wing viewpoints. The tech industry’s biggest lobby groups are suing Florida and Texas over the laws in a case that cuts to the heart of the fraught issue of regulating speech…

United States President Joe Biden has said that he hopes to have a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza by next Monday as negotiations to halt hostilities and secure the release of captives appeared to gather pace. Biden’s comments in New York on Monday came as Israeli media reported that an Israeli military delegation had flown to Qatar for intensive talks. The negotiations – mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the US – seek to secure a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas to allow aid into Gaza, where the United Nations says some 2.3 million people are on the…

Singapore – For decades, Singapore marketed itself as one of the world’s most open and globalised economies to compensate for its diminutive territory and lack of natural resources. Now the Southeast Asian city-state is confronting a new challenge: retaining the magic ingredients of its success while guarding against foreign interference that such openness could invite. On Monday, Singapore invoked its foreign interference law for the first time by designating Chan Man Ping Philip, a 59-year-old naturalised citizen, as a “politically significant person”, weeks after authorities flagged their intention to designate the businessman. Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs said that Chan, who…