IndiGo’s Dibrugarh-Kolkata flight makes emergency landing after bomb threat note written with lipstick found
The aircraft landed safely at 7:37 pm and authorities immediately moved it to the isolation bay in accordance with established security protocols.
Early voting for the Texas 2026 primaries begins Tuesday. Here’s what to know.
Early voting in person runs from Feb. 17-27. This guide explains your rights at Texas polls.
Conservative firebrand launches ‘TruckSafe Tipline’ to report illegal drivers amid spike in highway deaths
Amid heightened concern over highway deaths involving illegal immigrant drivers, conservative firebrand Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., is launching a “TruckSafe Tipline” to enable truckers to share concerns about illegals on U.S. roads. “Indiana is the Crossroads of America and Hoosiers are getting killed because drivers who shouldn’t be here in the first place are behind the wheel,” Banks said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. Through the online portal, which is already live, concerned citizens are able to share information about carriers they believe are employing or contracting with drivers who are not legally in the United States, not authorized to drive a truck, or who cannot meet required English-language safety standards. A spokesperson for Banks’ office told Fox News Digital that reports submitted to the TruckSafe Tipline will be reviewed by the senator’s staff and shared with the U.S. Department of Transportation and its Office of Inspector General. SANCTUARY STATES NEED CRACKDOWN AS AMERICANS PAY PRICE FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKERS: GOP LAWMAKER “If you’re driving a truck on our roads, you need to be legal, you need to be able to read traffic signs, and you need to follow the law,” said Banks. “The TruckSafe Tipline gives people on the ground a way to speak up when they see carriers cutting corners and putting lives at risk.” In an X post, Banks addressed truckers directly, writing, “If you’re a trucker or work in the industry and see something unsafe or know of shady carriers hiring illegals, I want to hear from you.” This comes shortly after a driver of a semi-truck at the center of a multi-vehicle crash that left four dead in Indiana was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Indiana State Police said the fatal crash happened Tuesday around 4 p.m. in the area of State Road 67 and County Road 550 East in Jay County, where the truck collided with a van. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News that the driver, Bekzhan Beishekeev, is a Kyrgyzstani national who entered the U.S. via the Biden-era CBP One cell phone app on Dec. 19, 2024, at the Nogales, Ariz., port of entry, and he was released into the U.S. via parole by the Biden administration. GOP FIREBRAND URGES TRUMP AGENCIES TO CLAW BACK MASSIVE TAXPAYER BENEFITS PAID OUT TO IMMIGRANTS Beishekeev, 30, was reportedly driving on SR 67 in Indiana when he didn’t stop for another slowed semi-truck, swerving instead into oncoming traffic and crashing head-on into a van, killing four people, several of whom were reportedly Amish. Banks’ office remarked that “this was not the first fatal accident caused by an illegal truck driver on Indiana’s roads.” The office pointed to the death of Indiana National Guardsman Terry Frye last November in a crash that involved a Georgian national who entered the country illegally in 2022. Just a month before that, Borko Stankovic, an illegal alien from Serbia and Montenegro, caused a multi-car accident that killed a 54-year-old. Despite being in the United States illegally since 2011, the Stankovic owned two trucking companies that received over $36,000 in COVID-19 relief funding. In October, Fox News Digital reported on Illinois-based trucking executive Mike Kucharski, co-owner and vice president of JKC Trucking, blowing the whistle on illegal alien commercial drivers not only endangering American roads but also “killing the trucking business.” CORNYN PUSHES ‘ZERO MERCY’ LAW TO DEPORT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CONVICTED OF DEADLY DRUNK DRIVING Kucharski explained further that, though a heavily regulated industry, illegal alien truck drivers can exploit a “loophole” in the system by obtaining non-domiciled commercial drivers’ licenses from sanctuary states. They are then able to outcompete legitimate trucking businesses by charging lower prices, leading to the demise of many American small businesses in the industry. “American truck drivers are patriots and vital to our country. No one is more outraged about what’s happening than them,” Banks wrote in another X post, adding, “Shady trucking companies that hire illegals, put lives at risk, and undercut American drivers’ wages are the problem. We must hold them accountable!” U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also chimed in on X, writing, “[Sen. Banks] is absolutely right! Too many lives have been lost and this must stop.” “We will crack down on these shady trucking companies and get to the bottom of the crash that killed four members of the Amish community in Indiana,” he said, noting, “Stay tuned for more to come on this.”
‘It’s absurd’: DHS shutdown bears down on US as lawmakers jet off to Europe
The government entered a partial shutdown at midnight Friday after Congress failed to reach a funding deal — and some lawmakers’ decision to attend an international gathering in Europe this weekend is drawing criticism from colleagues on both sides of the aisle. “It’s absurd, I hope the American people are paying attention,” Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital. The deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by the end of the week came with a built-in complication: members of both chambers were scheduled to attend the annual Munich Security Conference, with many set to depart by day’s end Thursday. GOVERNMENT TO SHUT DOWN AT MIDNIGHT AFTER DEMS, WHITE HOUSE FAIL TO STRIKE DHS DEAL Without a deal in place, Congress left Washington, D.C., on Thursday after the Senate failed to pass both a full-year funding bill for DHS and a temporary, two-week funding extension. At midnight Friday — with several lawmakers already in Germany — DHS shut down. Both Republican leaders warned members to be prepared to return if a deal was reached. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., gave senators 24 hours’ notice to return, while House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., allowed a 48-hour window. Despite the conference being scheduled months in advance, some lawmakers said leaving Washington — or even the country — during an active funding standoff sent the wrong message. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., blamed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arguing that Democrats blocked Republican-led efforts to prevent a partial DHS shutdown. DHS SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS WITHOUT PAY, WHAT HAPPENS TO AIRPORTS AND DISASTER RESPONSE “Schumer’s what’s deciding this,” Scott told Fox News Digital. “I mean, he’s deciding that he’s more interested in people going to Munich than he is in funding DHS.” Several lawmakers from both chambers are attending the conference, participating in side discussions and panels during the annual forum, where heads of state and top decision-makers gather to debate international security policy. Members of the House expressed frustration that senators would leave amid stalled negotiations between Senate Democrats and the White House. “The Senate started out a week ago saying, ‘I don’t think anybody should leave town,’” Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., told Fox News Digital. “Now they’re doing the Munich thing. At least [the House] sent a bill over … not a great pride moment for the federal government, is it?” Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., led a bipartisan delegation of 11 senators to the conference. When asked whether the shutdown would affect his travel plans, Whitehouse said, “I hope not.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who was scheduled to participate in a panel with Graham titled “The State of Russia,” according to the conference agenda, said lawmakers should have resolved outstanding issues before leaving town. “I’m not delighted with Republican resistance and unresponsiveness, but it’s on them at this point,” Blumenthal said. House rules prohibit official congressional delegations, also known as CODELs, during a shutdown. Still, several House members made the trip to Bavaria. At least a handful of House Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attended the conference. DEMS DIG IN, GUARANTEE SHUTDOWN WITH BLOCK OF DHS FUNDING House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., said during a hearing on the impact of a DHS shutdown that it would be “unconscionable if Congress leaves and does not solve the problem.” “I’m sure Munich is a great place. I’ve been there many times. The beer is outstanding,” Cole said. “But we don’t need to go to a defense conference someplace in Europe when we’re not taking care of the defense of the United States of America.” Lawmakers are expected to continue negotiations throughout the weekend while many are abroad. Senate Democrats have signaled they may present a counteroffer to the White House but have not finalized a proposal. If an agreement is reached, it would still take time to draft the legislative text and bring the measure to the Senate floor. Even so, some lawmakers argued that stepping away from negotiations — whether returning home or traveling overseas — was the wrong move. “I’ve been pretty outspoken to say we need to stay as long as we have to be here to be able to get things resolved so we don’t ever have a shutdown,” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital. “That’s the easiest way to resolve it is to say ‘no one walks away from the table,’” he added. “We stay at the table.” Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital the situation reflects poorly on GOP leadership’s handling of funding priorities, though he acknowledged the significance of the international conference. “There’s a certain irony that we would not be here to fund essential services of our government, but we have enough time and energy to go to the Munich Security Conference, which admittedly is a very important international gathering,” Morelle said. “But I think it says a lot about the lack of leadership…we can’t do the fundamentals of this job.”
Cal State prof warns scrapping SAT in name of ‘inclusivity’ is leaving students unprepared
A California economics professor is sounding the alarm on the “deficits in learning” she is seeing in the classroom, arguing that the decision to scrap standardized testing in the name of “inclusivity” is actually a disservice to the students it claims to help. Cal State Long Beach professor Andrea Mays told Fox News Digital that the current cohort of college students, many of whom spent their formative middle school years in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, are arriving on campus unprepared for basic coursework. Mays spoke to Fox News Digital about the state’s university system’s decision to scrap the SAT as a requirement for college admission as playing a large role in that and that it has led to students coming to college unprepared and dropping out at higher rates. Mays says the drop rate is up “phenomenally” and that chairs of other departments tell her it’s widespread, with 25% of students dropping classes, with math being a key area where students are coming in underprepared. GOT A SCOOP ON CAMPUS? SEND US A TIP HERE “I teach a class that is offered for non-economics majors,” Mays explained. “I could put on an index card exactly what math is required for my class, it’s not calculus, and they are struggling with it, they’re embarrassed, they’re demoralized, they come into my classroom, and they say, or into my office hours, and they say, I never learned this stuff, I don’t know how to calculate a percentage change.” “I can show them, but those are the students who are actually coming to me and asking me for help. There are lots of other students who are just too embarrassed even to do that, and who just end up dropping the class.” Mays, who recently penned an opinion piece in the Orange County Register with the headline “Bring back the SAT at CSU — or admit we are failing our own students,” says that the explanation she has gotten for the CSU system dropping the SAT is that “we want to be inclusive.” “I am definitely for inclusivity on our campus,” Mays said. “We have a very diverse campus here. But I think it’s fraud to tell people that what we’re doing is so that we can be inclusive when really what we’re doing is we’re allowing people to enter that we know are really going to have a difficult time of it. They have no idea.” ‘NATION’S REPORT CARD’ SHOWS ALARMING DECLINE IN SCIENCE, MATH AND READING SCORES In recent years, several activist groups have railed against the SAT and standardized testing in general, including the nation’s largest teachers union, and Fox News Digital asked Mays if that narrative is behind the CSU decision not to require the SAT. “That might be a little bit of the implication there without saying so, I’m not an expert in the recent changes in the SAT, others have done that work looking at whether you can change questions so that groups that don’t do well on certain questions, can do better on other types of questions,” Mays said. “There’s definitely room for discussion about what kind of a standard, is it the ACT? Is it the SAT or something? The problem is that high schools are heterogeneous,” Mays said. “Not all high schools are excellent even if they say they are. And so you’ll get students who get As in algebra two, and then they come into my class and they can’t calculate a percentage change. They can’t find the intersection between two straight lines, both of which are seventh and eighth grade math requirements. So that students are getting passed on from high school into a four-year university is a disservice to them. They get here thinking they’re wonderful and finding out that they are at the bottom of the ability distribution for math and English.” Acting Chancellor Steve Relyea stated in 2022 that when the decision to remove the SAT and ACT was made, the goal was to “level the playing field” and provide “greater access.” The decision followed a year-long study by the Admission Advisory Council, which found that the tests provided “negligible additional value” in predicting student success compared to high school GPA. SCATHING REPORT REVEALS ANTIFA-LINKED ORG PASSING OUT MATERIAL TO K-12 STUDENTS: ‘POLITICAL REVOLUTION’ The system officially moved to “multi-factored admission criteria,” focusing on GPA in specific high school courses, extracurriculars, and socio-economic factors. “Access without readiness is not opportunity,” Mays wrote in her article. “It is a disservice. If CSU is serious about student success, affordability, and equity, it must be willing to measure preparedness — and act on what it finds.” Mays added, “Pretending preparation gaps do not exist is not equity.” Mays told Fox News Digital that California’s robust and effective community college system is a tool ready to be utilized as an “alternative” for students who are coming out of high school, many who lost years of learning during COVID, and not prepared for college. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Go into the community system and take the lowest level English class you can so that you can write a sentence, you can write a paragraph, you could make an argument,” Mays said. “Take a basic math class that will transfer onto a four-year university and learn how to do the basic math that perhaps you didn’t learn when you were in middle school online.” The California State University System did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. “There’s no reason not to use an SAT as a filter to let students know whether they’re prepared for college-level work or not,” Mays told Fox News Digital.
Here’s how the DHS shutdown could impact the lives of everyday Americans
The federal government has entered its third partial shutdown of the last half-year after Congress failed to reach an agreement on all 12 of its annual spending bills. Unlike past shutdowns, however, this one just affects the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It comes after Democrats walked away from a bipartisan deal to fund the department amid uproar over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. And while some 97% of the federal government has been funded at this point, a DHS shutdown will still have effects on everyday Americans — effects that will become more apparent the longer the standoff continues. DHS SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS WITHOUT PAY, WHAT HAPPENS TO AIRPORTS AND DISASTER RESPONSE Disruptions to the TSA, whose agents are responsible for security checks at nearly 440 airports across the country, could perhaps be the most impactful part of the partial shutdown to Americans’ everyday lives. Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told lawmakers at a hearing on Wednesday that around 95% of TSA employees — roughly 61,000 people — are deemed essential and will be forced to work without pay in the event of a shutdown. “We heard reports of officers sleeping in their cars at airports to save money on gas, selling their blood and plasma, and taking on second jobs to make ends meet,” she said of the last shutdown. But it would take some time before TSA funding could translate to delays. TSA agents, like other essential federal workers, received back pay once the shutdown was over. Those who did not miss shifts also got a $10,000 bonus for added relief. FETTERMAN BUCKS DEMOCRATS, SAYS PARTY PUT POLITICS OVER COUNTRY IN DHS SHUTDOWN STANDOFF TSA paychecks due to be issued on March 3 could see agents getting reduced pay depending on the length of the shutdown. Agents would not be at risk of missing a full paycheck until March 17. If that happens, however, Americans could see delays or even cancellations at the country’s busiest airports as TSA agents are forced to call out of work and get second jobs to make ends meet. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is one of the largest and most critical recipients of federal funding under DHS. Associate Administrator of the Office of Response and Recovery Gregg Phillips told lawmakers on Wednesday that FEMA has enough funds to continue disaster response through a shutdown in the immediate future, but that its budget would be strained in the event of an unforeseen “catastrophic disaster.” That means Americans hit by an unexpected natural disaster during the shutdown could see delayed federal reimbursement for their homes and small businesses. Others who have already lived through a natural disaster in the last year but still have not received their checks — FEMA is currently working through a backlog worth billions of dollars — could see that relief delayed even further during the shutdown. “In the 45 days I’ve been here … we have spent $3 billion in 45 days on 5,000 projects,” Phillips said. “We’re going as fast as we can. We’re committed to reducing the backlog. I can’t go any faster than we actually are. And if this lapses, that’s going to stop.” American business owners who rely on certain types of worker visas could see processing times extended during a DHS shutdown. That’s because United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) programs are run under DHS and are responsible for processing most immigration applications as well as temporary visas. The majority of those programs are funded by fees and are largely untouched. However, areas like e-Verify, the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Regional Center Program, Conrad 30 J-1 doctors, and non-minister religious workers all rely on funding appropriated by Congress, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association. USCIS could allow employers to use alternate processes if e-Verify is disrupted during a shutdown, but it’s not clear how much time it would add to business owners’ day-to-day responsibilities to learn a new route for that paperwork.
‘Fiction’: House Republican campaign chair dismisses Democrats’ expanding GOP target map
EXCLUSIVE – Emboldened congressional Democrats are expanding their battleground map for this year’s midterm elections, when Republicans will be defending their razor-thin majority in the House. But the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) chairman, Rep. Richard Hudson, isn’t buying it. “I mean, I’ve read fiction my whole life, and I recognize it when I see it,” Hudson said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. Republicans currently control the House 218-214, with two right-tilting districts and one left-leaning seat currently vacant. Democrats need a net gain of just three seats in the midterms to win back the majority for the first time in four years. HOUSE DEMOCRATS ON OFFENSE: EXPAND GOP TARGET LIST The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) this week added five more offensive opportunities in Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, South Carolina and Virginia to their list of what they consider are vulnerable Republican-held House districts. That brings the total number of districts Democrats are hoping to flip to 44. The DCCC notes that all five of the new districts they’re adding to their list of “offensive targets” were carried by President Donald Trump by 13 points or fewer in the 2024 elections. FOX NEWS POLL: AN EARLY LOOK AT THE 2026 MIDTERMS “Democrats are on offense, and our map reflects the fact that everyday Americans are tired of Republicans’ broken promises and ready for change in Congress,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene emphasized earlier this week. And DCCC Spokesperson Viet Shelton told Fox News Digital, “In a political environment where Democrats are overperforming by more than 17 points in congressional special elections, it’s pretty clear we’re poised to re-take the majority. Momentum and the American people are on our side while Republicans are running scared.” Asked about the DCCC’s move, Hudson scoffed. “They’ve got to have a list they can present to their donors,” he said as he pointed to the DCCC. “But it’s not realistic. I mean, if you look at the map, there are very few seats up for grabs, and the majority of those seats are held by Democrats, but they’re seats that Donald Trump has carried or came very close….if you look at the seats that we’ll be competing for this fall. They’re all favoring Republicans.” The House GOP campaign chair added, “If you look at the map, it’s a Republican map. We just got to go out and win those races.” The move by the DCCC comes as Democrats are energized, despite the party’s polling woes. Democrats, thanks to their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation, scored decisive victories in the 2025 elections and have won or over performed in a slew of scheduled and special ballot box contests since Trump returned to the White House over a year ago. GOP CALLS TRUMP ITS ‘SECRET WEAPON’ — BUT POLLS SHOW WARNING SIGNS HEADING INTO MIDTERMS Republicans, meanwhile, are facing traditional political headwinds in which the party in power in the nation’s capital normally suffers setbacks in the midterm elections. And the GOP is also dealing with Trump’s continued underwater approval ratings. The latest national surveys, including the most recent Fox News poll, indicate the Democrats ahead of the Republicans by mid-single digits in the so-called generic ballot question, which asks respondents whether they’d back the Democratic or GOP candidate in their congressional district without offering specific candidate names. Asked about the polls, Hudson said, “We almost never lead in the generic ballot. But a single digit generic ballot, we do very well.” And the House GOP campaign chair added he remains “very bullish.” Cost of living concerns helped boost Trump and Republicans to sweeping victories in 2024, but affordability and overall economic concerns may work against them this year. While the latest AP/NORC national poll indicated the GOP with a slight advantage over Democrats on handling the economy, a bunch of surveys, including the latest Fox News poll, indicate many Americans feel things are worse off than they were a year ago and remain pessimistic about the economy. But on Friday the latest government numbers indicated that inflation eased during January. And Hudson says the economy is still a winning issue for Republicans. CASH SURGE: HOUSE GOP SMASHES FUNDRAISING RECORDS AS REPUBLICANS GEAR UP TO DEFEND SLIM MAJORITY Pointing to the numerous tax cuts kicking in this year in the GOP’s sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Trump signed into law last summer, Hudson touted “we put policies in place that are going to bring prosperity to the American people, and they’re starting to feel it.” “And as we move into tax season…folks who work overtime, folks who work for tips, they’re going to see a lot more money in their pocket thanks to no tax on tips, no tax on overtime,” he added. The GOP is also dealing with a low propensity issue: MAGA voters who don’t always go to the polls when Trump’s name isn’t on the ballot. “Our voters tend to be more working-class voters, and you have to put in extra effort to get them to the polls,” Hudson said. “We know that’s our challenge. President Trump knows that’s the challenge, and he’s committed to helping us.” Pointing to the NRCC’s annual fundraising gala, which Trump will once again headline this year, Hudson said this dinner will be a great kickoff for this year. We raised a whole lot of money with President Trump last year. We plan to raise a lot of money in March with President Trump, and then he’s going to get out on the campaign trail and help us turn out those voters and make that case.” Asked about midterm election predictions, Hudson shied away from giving any hard numbers. “Not going to give you a number, but we’re going to hold the majority,” he predicted. “President Trump was elected with a very specific agenda. We delivered almost his entire domestic agenda, and we’re going to go back to the voters and say promises made, promises kept, and they’re going to keep this
Arundhati Roy ‘shocked’ by jury’s Gaza remarks, quits Berlin film festival
Jury chair Wim Wenders said filmmakers ‘have to stay out of politics’ when asked about German support for Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 3 mins info Indian author Arundhati Roy has announced that she is withdrawing from the Berlin International Film Festival after what she described as “unconscionable statements” by its jury members about Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Writing in India’s The Wire newspaper, Roy said she found recent remarks from members of the Berlinale jury, including its chair, acclaimed director Wim Wenders, that “art should not be political” to be “jaw-dropping”. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “It is a way of shutting down a conversation about a crime against humanity even as it unfolds before us in real time,” wrote Roy, the author of novels and nonfiction, including The God of Small Things. “I am shocked and disgusted,” Roy wrote, adding that she believed “artists, writers and filmmakers should be doing everything in their power to stop” the war in Gaza. “Let me say this clearly: what has happened in Gaza, what continues to happen, is a genocide of the Palestinian people by the State of Israel,” she wrote. The war is “supported and funded by the governments of the United States and Germany, as well as several other countries in Europe, which makes them complicit in the crime,” she added. During a panel to launch the festival on Thursday, a journalist asked the jury members for their views on the German government’s “support of the genocide in Gaza” and the “selective treatment of human rights” issues. German filmmaker Wim Wenders, who is the chair of the festival’s seven-member jury, responded, saying that filmmakers “have to stay out of politics”. “If we made movies that are dedicatedly political, we enter the field of politics. But we are the counterweight to politics. We are the opposite of politics. We have to do the work of people and not the work of politicians,” Wenders said. Advertisement Polish film producer Ewa Puszczynska, another jury member, said she thought it was “a bit unfair” to pose this question, saying that filmmakers “cannot be responsible” for whether governments support Israel or Palestine. “There are many other wars where genocide is committed and we do not talk about that,” Puszczynska added. Roy had been due to participate in the festival, which runs from February 12 to 22, after her 1989 film, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, was selected to be screened in the Classics section. Germany, which is one of the biggest exporters of weapons to Israel, after the US, has introduced harsh measures to prevent people from speaking out in solidarity with Palestinians. In 2024, more than 500 international artists, filmmakers, writers and culture workers called on creatives to stop working with German-funded cultural institutions over what they described as “McCarthyist policies that suppress freedom of expression, specifically expressions of solidarity with Palestine”. “Cultural institutions are surveilling social media, petitions, open letters and public statements for expressions of solidarity with Palestine in order to weed out cultural workers who do not echo Germany’s unequivocal support of Israel,” organisers of the initiative said. Adblock test (Why?)
Trauma and defiance: Life and death of 17-year-old killed fighting Israel
Nablus, occupied West Bank – Before he was killed by an Israeli drone 18 months ago at the young age of 17, Wael Mesheh was an aspiring university student who was wanted to be a successful computer programmer. But having seen five of his relatives and friends cut down by Israeli forces during almost daily raids of his northern West Bank refugee camp of Balata, the Palestinian teenager came to believe that life and death were the same, engendering a desire to sacrifice himself for the cause of Palestinian freedom, and therefore turning himself – in his belief – into a “martyr”. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “What our family was suffering planted this desire inside him: He always knew he wanted to fight and see his country without occupation,” Wael’s 47-year-old father, Belal, told Al Jazeera. “And it was not just Wael, but many of his generation in the camp.” Before he turned 17, Wael had been imprisoned for throwing stones at Israeli soldiers, assaulted in jail, and then freed in a prisoner exchange deal. He joined the Qassam Brigades – the armed wing of Hamas – once he got out of prison, and was eventually killed in August 2024 while fighting Israeli troops near his home in Balata, southeast of Nablus. Wael’s story is typical of many young Palestinians in the West Bank’s refugee camps. Children learn from an early age that trauma will define their lives in ways even other Palestinians are spared. Psychologists from the West Bank told Al Jazeera young people in the camps face “incessant traumatisation”, and most are deprived of “safety, places to play, opportunities, and a chance to escape”. Advertisement Instead, as the offspring of refugees denied the right to return to their homeland, they face a life surrounded by poverty, death, and Israeli military violence. They are part of Palestinian society, yet remain marginalised within it – without the sense of belonging others take for granted. The conditions endured by those in the camps make them a breeding ground for armed resistance to Israel. Belal says that it was Wael’s time in prison that eventually pushed him to fight. He says that Wael was tortured by guards for being defiant, and was kept in solitary confinement. He was eventually released as part of the November 2023 prisoner exchange deal, at the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. The Balata refugee camp in the occupied West Bank has been repeatedly attacked by Israeli forces [Al Jazeera] Defenders of the camps The West Bank’s 19 refugee camps, once makeshift tented communities when they were established in 1948 after Israel’s founding and intended to be temporary, are now densely populated built-up areas housing the descendants of hundreds of thousands of refugees. The older generations remember being forcibly expelled from their homes in historical Palestine by Zionist militias in the 1948 Nakba to pave the way for the creation of an Israeli state. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) describes the camps as dominated by poverty, severe overcrowding, and joblessness. The camps are also the primary targets of Israeli military operations in the West Bank. Without the prospect of a normal childhood for their occupants, the lure of fighting Israel can often prove irresistible. Nablus-based psychologist, Nisreen Bsharat, said “martyrdom”, particularly for those in the camps, is viewed as the ultimate demonstration of faith and resilience. Bsharat, who works with young people and grieving mothers from Balata, said martyrdom is seen as a “’heroic’ contribution to Palestine”, and that martyrs and their families are celebrated as such. Those who fight against Israel are seen as “role models” when so few opportunities exist in refugee camps, Bsharat added. “Historically, martyrdom is tied to our national identity,” she said. “It’s seen as the least we can offer our homeland, and part of our duty.” Though far from an exclusively Islamic concept, Palestinians often refer to those who are killed by Israeli forces as martyrs, believing they sacrifice their lives fighting for their nation, Islam, and the Holy Land – and believe that God promises them their place in paradise. Advertisement Bethlehem-based clinical psychologist and academic, Amanda Manasra, who was born in Aida refugee camp, and focuses on trauma in Palestine, told Al Jazeera the vast majority of camp residents live with untreated complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), which is significantly more difficult to cure. The harsh environment of the camps creates a revolutionary fervour that is far less common in wealthier areas, Manasra added. “The idea of martyrdom is related to how Palestinians find meaning to deal with hardship, individually and collectively,” she said. “Many of my cases are adolescent men from the camps – many former prisoners – who have lost so many friends and family members. “Joining the resistance is about taking control – it can feel like a reward for experiencing hardship, and can satisfy feelings of retribution. “The fighters feel they have survived, persisted, and beaten the occupation war machine.” Camps in the northern West Bank came under even more relentless attack since Israel launched “Operation Iron Wall” in January 2025, which has displaced tens of thousands of refugees in nearby Jenin and Tulkarem, and killed hundreds. Tributes to Palestinians killed fighting Israel are visible across Balata [Al Jazeera] Psychological toll Belal, who spent eight years in Palestinian Authority (PA) prison during Wael’s childhood, feels the pain of his son’s loss deeply. They both had only ever known the narrow, labyrinthine streets and decrepit buildings of Balata, the most populous refugee camp in the West Bank. But Belal feels that he wasn’t able to be there to guide Wael through them. “I didn’t get the chance to see Wael growing up, or spend time with him as all other fathers do,” he said, unable to fight back his tears. “I envy his mother and brother because at least they lived with him. They have beautiful and plentiful memories with him, shared moments. “Do you know what it feels like to
Danish PM says more Greenland talks due after meeting US’s Marco Rubio
New opinion poll finds seven in 10 US adults disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of Greenland issue. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 4 mins info Denmark’s prime minister and Greenland’s premier met with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and agreed that talks would be pursued on the running of Greenland, the semi-autonomous Danish territory that President Donald Trump has threatened to take over. Rubio held a 15-minute meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Greenland’s leader Nielsen said in a post on social media that during the meeting with Rubio, “it was emphasised that the conversations being made are the right way forward and the interests of Greenland were once again clearly highlighted”. Prime Minister Frederiksen said on X after the meeting: “Constructive talk with Secretary of State Marco Rubio together with Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Chairman of Naalakkersuisut, at the Munich Security Conference.” “Work will continue as agreed in the high-level working group,” she said. The meeting between the Danish and Greenlandic leaders and the US state secretary comes amid severely strained ties between Europe and Washington, and NATO allies, amid President Trump’s repeated threats to take over Greenland and criticism of European nations as “decaying” and “weak”. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump said, “We’re negotiating right now for Greenland.” “I think Greenland’s going to want us, but we get along very well with Europe. We’ll see how it all works out,” he said. After months of bellicose language regarding the US’s necessity to acquire Greenland, Trump abruptly stepped back from his threats last month, saying that he had reached an understanding with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte that would give the US greater influence in the mineral-rich Arctic territory. Advertisement Late last month, the US, Denmark and Greenland also launched talks to find a diplomatic path out of the crisis. Poll finds most US adults disapprove of Trump’s Greenland plan The US administration has cited key national security concerns related to Russia and China to justify its demand to take control over Greenland and has accused Denmark, and Europe more broadly, of being unable to defend the strategic territory. But, according to a new opinion poll conducted by The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, Trump’s push to seize control of Greenland has gone down badly with the US public and members of his own party. The survey, conducted between February 5-8, found that about seven in 10 US adults disapprove of how Trump is handling the Greenland issue – a higher disapproval rating than the share of those who dislike how he is handling foreign policy generally. Even among Republican supporters, about half disapprove of his attempt to turn Greenland into US territory, according to the poll. Sweden said on Thursday that it would send fighter jets to patrol Greenland as part of a newly launched NATO mission in the Arctic aimed at placating Trump’s concerns over the threats posed by Moscow and Beijing. The government said in a statement that Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets would patrol Greenland as part of the newly-launched NATO mission, Arctic Sentry. “As a NATO ally, Sweden has a responsibility to contribute to the security of the entire territory of the Alliance. The Arctic region is becoming increasingly important from a strategic perspective,” Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said. In a separate statement, the Swedish Armed Forces said the fighter jets would be based out of Iceland, where six aircraft have been stationed since early February as part of the rotating incident response force, NATO Air Policing. Swedish special forces would also be sent to Greenland to take part in training exercises for a couple of weeks, the military said. Adblock test (Why?)