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Israel-Hamas war: Hostages, detainees freed as truce holds
Deutsche Welle
25 Nov 2023, 15:10
Hamas militants have released an initial group of hostages to the Red Cross as part of an exchange with Israel. Israel's military has vowed to resume operations in Gaza after the four-day pause in fighting.
Palestinian families welcome freed detainees home
A total of 28 released Palestinian detainees were taken from Israeli prisons to the West Bank on Friday, according to the AFP news agency.
Another 11 detainees were taken to east Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group.
A total of 150 Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released over the course of a four-day pause in fighting.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, Israel is currently holding 7,200 Palestinians, including about 2,000 arrested since October 7. Israeli law allows for holding suspects for months without charge in administrative detention.
Among those released were prisoners arrested for offenses including attempted stabbings, stone throwings at Israeli soldiers or having contacts with hostile organizations, as well as 15 teenagers jailed for offenses including throwing stones at Israeli soldiers.
In the West Bank town of Beituna, hundreds of Palestinians poured out of their homes to celebrate, honking horns and setting off fireworks.
"I can't express how I feel. Thank God," 17-year-old Laith Othman, who was among those released, told the Reuters news agency.
The teenager was detained earlier this year on suspicion of throwing an incendiary device.
"The situation inside [prison] is very difficult," he added as he was carried along the street on another person's shoulders.
Others said they had mixed emotions:
"As a Palestinian, my heart is broken for my brothers in Gaza, so I can't really celebrate," Abdulqader Khatib, a United Nations worker whose son was also freed on Friday, told the Associated Press.
His 17-year-old son, Iyas, had been taken into administrative detention without charges or trial and held based on secret evidence.
"But I am a father. And deep inside, I am very happy," he said.
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Myanmar: Junta troops withdraw from border town, rebels say
Anti-junta rebels say they have driven government troops from a key border hub near Thailand. If the news is verified, it signals another setback for Myanmar's military as it battles a number of ethnic rebel groups.
Troops loyal to Myanmar's military junta have pulled out from the town of Myawaddy at the Thai border after a dayslong assault by an ethnic armed group, a rebel spokesman said on Thursday.
The fighting has caused large numbers of people to try to flee to neighboring Thailand from the border town, which is a major trading hub.
Myanmar's military junta, which took power in a 2021 coup, has suffered a number of recent defeats at the hands of ethnic rebel groups and a civilian militia movement, with some saying it could soon be toppled.
What do we know so far?
Padoh Saw Taw Nee, a spokesman for the Karen National Union (KNU), told AFP news agency that around 200 junta soldiers stationed in the town had withdrawn to a bridge linking it to the Thai border town of Mae Sot.
"We took [Myanmar military battalion] 275 at 10 p.m. last night," he said.
The KNU said last week that its troops had attacked a junta camp near Myawaddy, forcing some 600 security personnel and their families to surrender.
Thai immigration officials said some 4,000 people were entering Thailand daily from Myanmar, compared with the some 1,900 that usually crossed the border.
Thailand has said it is prepared to accept up to 100,000 people displaced by the clashes. The kingdom has stepped up security on its side of the border and is preparing to send more immigration officials to the region in anticipation of an increased flow of people fleeing the fighting.
Myawaddy is a vital trading hub for Myanmar's junta and saw about $1.1 billion (€1 billion) in goods pass through in the past 12 months, according to the country's commerce ministry.
US: Gunfire at Philadelphia Eid al-Fitr event injures three
A shooting between two rival groups at an Eid al-Fitr event injured three, including a 15-year-old suspect. Police have taken five people into custody.
Gunfire was exchanged at an Eid al-Fitr event outside a mosque in Philadelphia between two rival groups, injuring at least three people.
Around 30 shots were fired at the Muslim celebration marking the end of the month of Ramadan around 2:30 p.m. local time, police said. Around 1,000 people were present at the event, including many children.
The event occurred at Clara Muhammad Square. Many people ran to tents near the park, hid behind trees or dropped to the ground and shielded children.
One man was shot in the stomach, and a juvenile victim had a wound to the hand, police said.
Five taken into custody
Five people have been taken into custody, including a 15-year-old who was shot by the police in the leg and shoulder and taken to the hospital. The suspects include four males and a female. Five guns were also confiscated. Possible motives for the shooting have not yet been determined.
"We are very, very fortunate today that we did not have more individuals shot and anyone killed. Ninety-nine percent of the people attending this event were good people who wanted to have a good time," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said in a press conference.
"This is just a celebration of life for God to forgive us for our sins. There's one month that God chains the devil down, so whoever did this can't even blame the devil," Zania Weatherford, who was present near the venue, told AP news agency.
"All my years of living in Philadelphia, I've never seen nothing like this, especially at the masjid. Just as much crime as it may be in Philadelphia. It was always separated from the masjid," said Thomas Allen, who was at the Philadelphia Masjid.
Castaways rescued after writing 'HELP' in palm fronds
Three men in their 40s washed up on a desert island found an ingenious way to be noticed by rescue teams — they spelled out "HELP" in palm fronds. The US Navy spotted the message and rescued the trio in good health.
Three men stranded on a Pacific island for a week were rescued after a US Navy aircraft found their "HELP" sign written out in palm fronds.
"In a remarkable testament to their will to be found, the mariners spelled out 'HELP' on the beach using palm leaves, a crucial factor in their discovery. This act of ingenuity was pivotal in guiding rescue efforts directly to their location," said search and rescue mission coordinator Lieutenant Chelsea Garcia.
In a statement, the US Coast Guard said the men and their equipment were rescued on Tuesday and brought to Polowat Atoll. They were all in good health. No information was shared regarding their nationalities or identities.
Where were they going
The three were found on the deserted 32-acre Pikelot island, a part of the Federated States of Micronesia, 415 miles (667 kilometers) southeast of Guam, about 100 miles from where they had started their journey.
The trio, all in their forties and experienced mariners, had started a journey on March 31 on a 20-foot open skiff with an outboard motor from Polowat atoll.
Their niece informed authorities after they failed to return for six days, after which the Coast Guard and Navy began a search in an area of more than 78,000 square nautical miles.
Within a day, the Navy's P-8 Poseidon aircraft spotted their "H-E-L-P" sign. A photograph taken by the Coast Guard showed they had made two makeshift shelters near the sign.
In August 2020, three other sailors were rescued from the same island after they wrote "SOS" on the beach sand and were spotted by Australian and US warplanes.
Argentina's Milei meets Elon Musk at Tesla factory
The two like-minded men bonded over free markets and the need to defend liberty. Argentina, which is undergoing economic reforms, is home to lithium deposits required for rechargeable batteries like those in Teslas.
Argentine President Javier Milei met tech billionaire Elon Musk on Friday at a Tesla plant in Austin, Texas, where they agreed on the "need to free markets."
Musk shared an image of the two on his microblogging platform X, formerly Twitter, with the pair giving a thumbs up. Under the image was written: "To an exciting and inspiring future!"
Milei shared a picture of them shaking hands in a conference room with a caption saying, long live freedom.
One of the richest men in the world, Musk has previously shown his admiration for Milei's full-throated embrace of private enterprise and his disdain for what he sees as socialist excesses.
What did Musk and Milei talk about?
A spokesperson for the president said Milei and Musk "agreed on the need to free markets and defend the ideas of freedom" as well as the importance of eliminating bureaucratic obstacles to business.
The populist leader also offered his alliance to Musk in the legal battle in Brazil, the spokesperson said in a statement. Tesla's founder is currently under investigation in Brazil after he accused a Supreme Court judge of censoring social media networks. Musk called the judge a "dictator" and vowed to disobey rulings to block users spreading disinformation.
In his meeting with Milei, Musk agreed to take part in an event in Argentina in the near future to promote the value of freedom.
What is at stake for Argentina?
Smiley photo ops, a video of Milei riding a futuristic cybertruck and bonding over free markets aside, much was at stake for Milei.
Argentina is home to massive lithium deposits, which are used for rechargeable batteries, like those that power Tesla electric cars.
Argentina's incoming ambassador to the US, Gerardo Werthein, noted that Musk and Milei also discussed lithium.
"We talked about the investment opportunities in Argentina in lithium... We're very committed not only to exporting raw materials but also to adding value," Werthein said in comments published by Argentine newspaper La Nacion.
"[Musk] said he wants to help Argentina," he added.
The newly appointed president is facing severe backlash for his market-oriented economic reforms, with thousands of Argentinians protesting on the streets. He has even received pushback from some of his conservative allies.
It is now key for Argentina to maintain support from the United Statesand the International Monetary Fund — to which it owes $42 billion (€39.36 billion) — to boost investor confidence in the South American nation.
Historic Tibetan Buddhist monastery is being moved to make way for dam
Monks have petitioned to have the relocation order reversed, but to no avail.
Atsok Monastery in Dragkar county, Tsolho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in western China's Qinghai province, in an undated picture.
Citizen journalist
Authorities have begun relocating a 19th-century Tibetan Buddhist monastery in China that is expected to be submerged under water after the completion of the world’s tallest 3D-printed hydropower dam, two sources from the region told Radio Free Asia.
The expansion of the Yangqu hydropower station on the Yellow River – known as the Machu River among the Tibetans – in Qinghai province was started in 2022 and will be completed later this year.
For the past two years, monks from Atsok Gon Dechen Choekhorling Monastery in Dragkar county, or Xinghai in Chinese, have petitioned authorities to rescind relocation orders issued by China’s National Development and Reform Commission, or NDRC, a Tibetan source said, insisting on not being identified to protect his safety.
But in April 2023 the government’s Department of National Heritage declared that the artifacts and murals inside the monastery were of “no significant value or importance” and that its relocation would proceed, he said.
Chinese authorities have announced to local residents that they will fund the costs of dismantling and reconstructing the monastery, and performing ceremonies and rituals at the relocated area, the sources said.
However, many of the murals and surrounding stupas cannot be physically moved and so will be destroyed.
Tibetans also believe that the place is sacred: That it has been made holier over 135 years of prayers and practice by generations in the same venue.
Disregard for cultural heritage
The dam’s construction, Tibetans say, is yet another example of Beijing’s disregard for their culture, religion and environment.
Videos obtained by RFA showed a relocation ceremony being held earlier this month outside Atsok Monastery while authorities addressed local residents from a stage flanked by trucks and cranes on both sides.
“The resettlement work could begin with the government’s approval and the support of the local population,” a local Chinese official can be heard saying in one video.
Other footage obtained by RFA show scores of Tibetan residents praying and prostrating themselves on the road and in the fields before stupas near Atsok Monastery in what sources said was their way of “bidding farewell to this ancient monastery that has been their place of devotion for generations of Tibetans.”
The monastery, founded in 1889 and named after its founder Atsok Choktrul Konchog Choedar, is home to more than 160 monks. In 2021, the government issued an order forbidding monks under the age of 18 from enrolling or studying and living in the monastery.
And while authorities have announced that the monks and residents of nearby villages will be relocated to Khokar Naglo, near Palkha township, no alternative housing has been built for the monks, the sources said.
Seizing land
Tibetans often accuse Chinese companies and officials of improperly seizing land and disrupting the lives of local people, sometimes resulting in standoffs that are violently suppressed.
In February, police arrested more than 1,000 Tibetans, including monks, who had been protesting the construction of a dam in Dege county in Sichuan’s Kardze Autonomous Tibetan Prefecture, that would submerge at least six monasteries and force several villages to be moved.
The NDRC said the Yangqu dam will force the relocation of 15,555 people – nearly all ethnic Tibetans – living in 24 towns and villages in three counties — Dragkar, Kawasumdo and Mangra. Dragkar county sits in Tsolho, or Hainan in Chinese, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the historic Amdo region of Tibet.
They warned the head of the monastery and residents that they “will be punished for any disturbance caused,” the sources said.
The Yangqu hydroelectric plant — expected to generate about 5 billion kilowatts of power annually to Henan province — is an expansion of the Yangqu Dam that was first built in 2010 and began operating in 2016 as a 1,200-megawatt hydropower station.
The expanded hydropower dam is expected to be the world’s tallest structure built with 3D printing, as detailed by scientists in the Journal of Tsinghua University.
The first section of the dam, said to be over 150 meters (about 500 feet) tall, is scheduled to become operational this year, and the entire project operational the following year.
Source: rfa
Europe for Tibet campaign launched In Brussels
A campaign “Europe for Tibet” was officially launched in the European Parliament on April 9 in Brussels, Belgium with a meeting with Members of the European Parliament in anticipation of the forthcoming European elections slated for June 6-9. The initiative, known as EU4Tibet, is a collaborative effort among various Tibet Support Groups across Europe.
Facilitated by entities such as the Tibet Interest Group in the European Parliament, alongside the Offices of Tibet in Brussels, Geneva, and London, as well as the International Campaign for Tibet in Europe and the International Tibet Network, the campaign aims to garner support for Tibetan rights and freedom on the international political and grassroots circuits.
Additionally, it seeks to provide a platform through the website eu4tibet.org, where groups advocating for Tibetan causes within member states can secure pledges of support from candidates participating in the 2024 European elections and question their respective political parties on their stance concerning Tibet.
The 2024 European elections will see the election of 720 EU citizens to the European Parliament for five years. In light of this, the campaign implores these future parliamentarians to commit to championing Tibet’s cause throughout their tenure. The campaign calls on the future members of the European parliament to pledge to take a stand for Tibet during their mandate.
The European Parliament has been an active supporter of the Tibetan cause and the Dalai Lama’s non-violent approach. It has advocated for dialogue to resolve differences between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government, pushing for autonomy in Tibet to safeguard religious and cultural freedoms. Since 1988, the Parliament has provided a platform for discussions on Tibet, hosting the Dalai Lama despite objections from China.
Over the years, the European parliament has raised awareness about Tibet’s human rights situation through hearings, exhibitions, and conferences. It has passed around 50 resolutions focusing on Tibet, human rights, and China, addressing issues like religious freedom restrictions and linguistic rights violations.
Source: Phayul
EU pledges €3.5 billion to protect world's oceans
The European Union has bledged billion of dollars to embrace the idea of a "blue economy" to protect the world's oceans from damage caused by human activity.
The European Union has pledged €3.5 billion ($3.71 billion) to protect the world's oceans and promote sustainability through a series of initiatives this year, the EU's top environment official said on Tuesday.
Virginijus Sinkevicius, the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, said the "ocean is part of who were are, and it is our responsibility" while announcing the initiatives at the "Our Ocean" conference in Athens.
The annual conference, attended by about 120 countries, include supporting 14 investments and one reform in sustainable fisheries in Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Portugal worth about €1.9 billion.
Another €980 million under the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility will be used in in Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Italy and Spain's to support four investments and two reforms to fight marine pollution.
The aim of the conference is to promote and support the idea of the "blue economy" which the World Bank defines as “sustainable use of ocean resources to benefit economies, livelihoods and ocean ecosystem health.”
Greece strongly embraces idea given its location
Greece, which includes thousands of islands and which has the longest Mediterranean coastline of any littoral state, also plans to present its national strategy on marine biodiversity protection at the conference.
The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service said last month that ocean temperatures hit a record high in February, in a dataset that goes back to 1979. Overfishing and plastic pollution are also major threats to oceans.
Plastics entering the world's oceans could nearly triple by 2040 if no further action is taken, research has shown.
